


Matsuno Royale

by Rusticles



Category: Battle Royale - All Media Types, おそ松さん | Osomatsu-san (Anime)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Other, Self Harm, Suicide, emetophobia tw, matsucest free
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-29
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-07-10 23:58:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 19,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7013893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rusticles/pseuds/Rusticles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A crossover of Battle Royale and Osomatsu-San! I hadn't seen any crossovers of the two, so i took it upon myself to write one! I hope anyone who reads it enjoys it!<br/> (this is also the first serious fic I've ever written, so it might not be THE BEST, but i'm trying!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One (Osomatsu)

**Author's Note:**

> again, this chapter might be kind of bland, i'm not too good with intros :') not every chapter is going to be this short, by the way!

“Do you have everything? Todomatsu, do you have your phone?” Matsuyo asked, straightening her sons' outfits, stopping to fix Ichimatsu's hair despite his protests.

“Yes, Kaa-San! There's no need to worry so much, it's just a field trip,” Osomatsu replied, rubbing the underside of his nose. They were going on a field trip with their high school, to some nearby big city or something. He hadn't been paying attention, but he could just ask Choromatsu on the bus. He didn't really care where they went, as long as he'd be able to have some fun and hang out with his brothers. Ichimatsu spoke up.

“Do I really have to go? Is there even anything to do there...?”

Todomatsu looked offended. 

“Of COURSE there's stuff to do there! There's a Sutabaa, a pachinko parlor, a really nice restaurant called-” Osomatsu stopped listening, losing interest.

“Anyway,” Choromatsu butted in. “We should really get going. We're gonna miss the bus if we don't go now.” Totty shot a glance at Choromatsu and opened his mouth to retort, but Jyushimatsu excitedly agreed with Choromatsu.

“Yeah!! Let's go!!” He said with a large grin. He was probably the most excited to go, although Osomatsu was almost certain he didn't remember where they were going either. Karamatsu,who was closest to the door, nodded.

“I agree, buruzza. We're already missing out on the fun of talking with our classmates before the bus leaves-” Ichimatsu glared at him. “Uh, yeah. Let's just go.”

Matsuyo and Matsuzo took turns giving their sons gigantic hugs before they left.

“Stay safe, alright?” Matsuyo smiled.

“Yes, stay out of trouble.” Matsuzo ruffled Karamatsu's hair, and Karamatsu immediately fixed it and smiled.

The six brothers began walking out the door, saying their goodbyes to their parents. They started to walk when Todomatsu looked at his phone and panicked. 

“We were supposed to leave ten minutes ago! We need to hurry!” 

“Shit, I told you guys we needed to leave!” Choromatsu snapped. 

Osomatsu laughed. “It’s fine, it’s fine! We can just run, we’ll make it in time! The bus stop is just a block away from here, anyway.” 

“How can you be sur-” Choromatsu paused. Jyushimatsu had already taken off running. “I guess we have no choice, then.” The five of them ran after Jyushimatsu, catching sight of the bus. 

The bus was just starting to pull away from the bus stop when the driver noticed the sextuplets running towards it. He stopped the bus abruptly, the students already on the bus being shaken in their seats. He tiredly opened the door for the six, letting them enter. 

Osomatsu looked around, wondering where the six of them would sit. He turned to ask his brothers, irritated to see Todomatsu talking with a couple of girls. He recognized them as Aida and Sachiko. He'd never talked to them much, but he'd seen Todomatsu with them pretty often. He figured it wouldn't hurt if he sat away from him for the ride, although he'd prefer if Totty would sit with the rest of them. Karamatsu was trying to talk to one of the newer students, Shaolin, but she immediately turned away from him. Karamatsu sulked back to the rest of the group, sighing and muttering something about his “Karamatsu girls” under his breath. Osomatsu did a quick head count and counted only four of them in the back of the bus, excluding Todomatsu. He looked behind him and saw Jyushimatsu happily talking to another fairly new student named Homura. She looked as happy as him, but something seemed a little off about her. Osomatsu shrugged it off, figuring it was alright if he sat up there. He sat down next to Karamatsu, on the row next to Ichimatsu. He was sitting by himself, as was Choromatsu, who was sitting in front of Ichimatsu. He'd brought an idol magazine with him, and was reading it intently. Osomatsu reclined back, excited for where ever it was they were going. The bus started up and they were off.

The class was rather small, consisting of only 16 students, but the bus was rather loud for the majority of the ride. Osomatsu and Karamatsu discussed what they were going to do when they arrived, Choromatsu and Ichimatsu briefly conversed, Todomatsu chatted with most of the girls on the bus, and Jyushimatsu laughed with Homura. It seemed like they were going to have a nice trip.

Things lasted like that for a fair while until a few hours in. Osomatsu looked over at Ichimatsu and Choromatsu, who were both.... sleeping? He knew Ichimatsu was probably gonna sleep through the ride, but he would have thought Choromatsu would have stayed awake. He was so excited to go earlier, what had changed in him? Osomatsu then realized the bus was no longer buzzing with conversation, in fact it was eerily silent except the hum of the bus's machinery. He noticed Jyushimatsu leaning on Homura's shoulder, sleeping soundly up at the front of the bus. Todomatsu was dozing off, his phone falling out of his hand. Osomatsu looked to Karamatsu to ask what was going on, but he too was fast asleep. He was about to get up and ask the bus driver what the hell was happening, but his feet felt so heavy all of a sudden.... He shook his head to keep himself awake, and then trudged on through the bus, gripping the seats to keep himself from collapsing onto the floor. He approached the bus driver wearily, but then paused, noticing that he had a gas mask fastened around his face.

“Hey, bus driver...?” He fell to his knees, fighting to keep his eyes open. He never did finish his question, as he collapsed onto the floor by the bus driver's seat.


	2. Chapter Two (Osomatsu)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one's a bit longer than the last!! also, any unfamiliar sounding names are background characters in the anime. I had to look for their names to even out the number of students. they still have a pretty small class, but i'll try to make it work!

When Osomatsu woke up, he didn't know where he was, or how he got there. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, looking around hazily. He seemed to be in...a classroom? All of his classmates were seated in desks similar to his, but only a few were awake. Next to him were Homura, Todomatsu, Chibita, and Totoko. Totoko was the only one of them who was awake. She looked just as confused as Osomatsu was.

“Osomatsu?” She asked him, “Where are we?”  
Osomatsu shrugged, rubbing his finger under his nose.

“Dunno. Looks like an old classroom to me.”

“Well, obviously!” She snapped. “I meant where as in what city.”

He shrugged again. “How the hell should I know?” He then noticed her expression. Her gaze was intently fixed on his neck.

“Osomatsu, what's that around your neck?” His hands shot up to his neck to touch whatever she was referring to. His fingers met with a cold, smooth collar that was tightly wrapped around his neck. He tried to pull it off, but then a voice piped up from the front of the room.  
“I wouldn't do that if I were you, kid.”

Osomatsu and Totoko looked up to see a middle aged man standing at the front of the room. He was short and stocky, and had dark, thinning hair. He had a crisp black suit on, with a dark red tie.

“Who are you supposed to be?!” Totoko demanded, standing up.

“Now, now. Sit back down, little girl.” He grinned, pulling a small handgun from his pocket and aiming it at her. Her eyes widened and she slowly sat back down. Osomatsu tensed. What the fuck was going on?!

“Answer her question!” He said louder than than he wanted to.

“Calm down... Karamatsu, right?... I'll explain everything soon.”

“I'm Osomatsu.” He said, gritting his teeth.

“Whatever. You're all the same to me.” He retorted sharply, putting his gun away.

He looked at Totoko with worried eyes as the rest of the class began to wake. Soon everyone had awoken, and they started to mumble among each other until the man at the front of the room barked at them all to be quiet.

“Everyone, SHUT UP!” He slammed his fist on the desk in front of him, silencing the class easily.

“Now. I know you're all probably quite confused. I'll explain everything to you.” He fixed his tie, clearing his throat.  
“ My name is Hisao. I’ll be your teacher from now on.” The class all gave him a confused look. 

“Today’s lesson starts now. You've all been selected for the program.”

Osomatsu was confused. Program? Was that a game show or something? He looked for Choromatsu's face in the rows of desks. He knew that Choromatsu would probably know what it was. When he saw him, he was put off by how pale he looked. He was gripping the sides of his desk, his eyes widened. He noticed a few others in the classroom with similar reactions. Ichimatsu looked completely blank. Karamatsu met eyes with Osomatsu, terrified. Even Jyushimatsu's smile had faded away. Did everyone know what the Program was but him?

“For those of you who don't know what that is,” he began, “You're going to kill each other until there's only one left alive.”

Osomatsu tensed, and then burst out laughing. The rest of the class stared at him, wide eyed.  
“That's hilarious!! Dude, c'mon. Tell us what we're REALLY doing here.”

“...Osomatsu,” Todomatsu turned to Osomatsu, frowning.

“He's serious, Osomatsu...” He said in a shaky voice. He was on the verge of tears.

“Nah, there's no way. Are we on some kind of game show or something? Just spit it out!” He stood up, about to approach the door. “Honestly, this is bullshi-”

“OSOMATSU! ” Karamatsu stood up from the other side of the room. The man at the front of the room whipped his gun out and fired at Karamatsu. Karamatsu cried out and fell to the floor, gripping his shoulder. Blood flowed through his fingers, staining his blue hoodie a dark purple. Osomatsu's eyes widened in horror and disbelief.

“Karamatsu…!” He gasped, turning to Hisao.

“Sit down, Osomatsu.” Hisao ordered him, now pointing the gun at Osomatsu. He remained standing, looking back to Karamatsu. Karamatsu looked to him, faking a smile. “I-I'm fine, b-buruzza... Listen to him,” he spoke through tears.

Osomatsu clenched his fists, slowly sinking back into his seat.  
“Anyway,” The man resumed, putting his gun away. “As I was saying, you're all going to fight each other to the death. However, there are rules. By now, you've probably noticed the collars around your necks.”

Apparently the majority of the class hadn't, as everyone reached up to feel their necks.

“These collars can not be removed. If you try, they will explode, killing you instantly. They will track your locations throughout the program. Also, every twelve hours, a few areas will be set to be off-limits. If you enter those areas,” He paused, “your collar will explode. If nobody dies within a twelve hour time period, all of your collars will explode, and nobody wins. And if you try to escape, your collar will explode. If for some reason THAT doesn’t work, the island is surrounded by gunboats. You won’t make it out, don’t even try it.” 

Sachiko raised her hand, catching the man's attention.  
“Yes?”  
She cleared her throat nervously, standing up. “Where's our teacher? You're telling us he was just ok with this?! What about our parents?!”

“Your parents have all been notified. Most of them tried to put up a fight about this.” Osomatsu thought of his parents, and tensed. Were his parents still alive…? He felt a growing sickness in his stomach. Hisao grinned. 

“Unfortunately, as for your teacher... We tried to negotiate with him, but he tried to put up a fight as well. That didn’t work out too well for him...” He pulled a walkie talkie out of his pocket and muttered something into it. Two men in matching black suits wheeled a long table covered in a tarp into the room. The man with the gun pulled the tarp off, and Osomatsu screamed.

Their teacher was lying on the table limply, paler than ever. His glasses were shattered, bits of glass sticking from his eyes. He had several small, round holes in his forehead that leaked into a bloody puddle under his head, which was now dripping onto the floor. His uniform was soaked in dark red. The students in the front row screamed and jumped out of their desks in horror, backing away. Osomatsu felt sicker and sicker. He looked around the room frantically, panicking. Todomatsu had passed out next to him, and Aida was shaking him by his shoulders, attempting to wake him up. Hisao fired his gun upwards, scaring the room into silence again.

“Now then,” he resumed. “You'll follow the rules or you'll end up like him.” He motioned to the former schoolteacher's corpse. 

Sachiko sank back into her seat, trembling.

Hisao picked up his walkie talkie again and mumbled something into it, and a large cart piled with bags of various sizes was brought into the room by the same two men that had brought in their teacher. He looked around the room to his brothers.They'd figure something out. The six of them would make it out alive, he'd make sure of it. They just needed to stick together and they could do it! He was beginning to make plans in his head when Hisao spoke again.

“You will all exit this building one at a time, when we call your name and number. You will each receive a bag. Each bag contains a map, a compass, a few rations of bread, a water bottle, and a random weapon.” He motioned to the cart of bags with his hand.

“I'll begin calling your names, then. Oh, by the way, this building will be off-limits in thirty minutes. Better not stick around!” He grinned evilly. 

Osomatsu decided he'd wait for the others just outside the building. Yeah, then they'd all band together and figure something out! He smiled to himself, knowing that they'd be okay.

“Female Student #1: Shaolin!”

Osomatsu watched as Shaolin rose from her seat shakily. She stumbled to the front of the room, taking a bag and running through the long hallway that led outside. Osomatsu thought to himself. Surely no one in the class has the guts to kill another classmate.... right? He looked at Ichimatsu. He was staring at his desk, his face blank. He could only hope that nobody would actually play this stupid game...

“Male student #1: Hatabou!” Hatabou skipped up to the front of the room, taking his bag and walking out...cheerfully? Osomatsu had a bad feeling about this.

“Female Student #2: Aida!” She rose from her chair and quickly ran to her bag and then outside.

“Male Student #2: Chibita!” Chibita looked over to Karamatsu and put something on his desk before he ran up to the front. Karamatsu picked it up and glanced at it before dropping it to the floor to avoid suspicion. His shoulder wasn't bleeding so badly anymore, but Osomatsu was still worried about him.  
“Female Student #3: Nyaa Hashimoto!”

Osomatsu glanced at Choromatsu, who was shaking violently. He hoped that he'd be alright...

“Male Student #3: Osomatsu Matsuno!” Osomatsu tensed and stood, looking to all of his brothers before approaching the bag. He grabbed a bag and ran through the hallway, clinging onto what little hope he had that he'd see his brothers again.


	3. Chapter Three (Osomatsu)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one's gonna be really short as well qwq

CHAPTER THREE

Osomatsu pushed the door open, feeling the cool breeze rustle his hair. There was no sign of anyone else nearby, to his relief. That would make it a lot easier to find a safe spot to wait for his brothers- He tripped on something as he was walking and fell, barely catching himself from face planting onto the dirt. He looked behind him to see what he'd tripped over and gasped in horror. 

The still warm, limp form of Aida was collapsed onto the ground, staring forward blankly as a small trail of blood trickled from her mouth. A long arrow was protruding from her back, the feathers shining in the moonlight. He scrambled to his feet, screaming. He looked around frantically to see what could have happened as another arrow barely missed his head. 

He looked up to the roof of the building they'd exited and saw Shaolin aiming at him with a crossbow half her size. He stood there dumbfounded before he realized he should run. He screamed and darted away, but not before he heard Shaolin cry out and then the sickening thud of someone hitting the ground. He guessed that someone had just pushed her off.

Osomatsu's head hurt. The fact that two of his former classmates, that were laughing and talking happily on the bus only a day ago were now DEAD was just incomprehensible for him. He ran and ran, his legs growing numb, until he could barely breathe. He stopped to hide behind a large tree in case someone had followed him, listening to his surroundings. 

When he heard nothing but silence, he fell to his knees, shaking as he opened the bag to find whatever piece of shit he was given to defend himself with. He felt around until he felt a smooth handle, and then pulled out a good sized hatchet. It was a decent weapon, it was probably gonna be easy to use. Not that he wanted to use it… But still. He then froze, remembering his original plan to wait for his brothers. By now, they’d probably all left the building. A horrible, sick feeling gnawed at him. What if Shaolin’s attacker had found one of his brothers? What if one of them had already been killed? He didn’t want to think about it. 

He hugged his knees to his chest and let out a sob. He'd been fine away from his brothers before, but now.... He didn't know what to do. He was completely alone, and he had no idea where his brothers were, or if they were even alive still. Osomatsu buried his head in his hands as he was absorbed into his grief, his body wracked with sobs. Maybe his plan wasn’t going to work so well after all.


	4. Chapter Four (Karamatsu)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one's WAY longer than the others qwq  
> by the way, the POV is gonna be switching around quite a bit in this fic!

Karamatsu left the building, breathing heavily. His shoulder felt like it was on fire. He wanted to lie down and cry, but he had to stay strong. He needed to be there for his brothers, and for his friends. Maybe nobody's actually gonna participate, he thought to himself. Maybe he could gather everyone together and they could figure out a way to get out- 

He noticed the still, sprawled forms of two of his classmates on the ground, and cried out in surprise. He recognized them as Aida, one of Todomatsu's friends, and Shaolin, who he'd been flirting with just yesterday. That meant that at least one of his classmates was already out for blood, and had successfully murdered two of his classmates already.. 

Yeah, he probably wasn't gonna be able to make peace with everyone. He just hoped with all his heart it hadn't been Osomatsu or Chibita's doing. He then remembered Chibita's note. He'd written something quickly and left it on Karamatsu's desk before he'd left.

“Meet me at the far east end of the map,” it had read in hastily written letters. He was too close to the building to stop and pull out his map and compass, so he started heading into the woods for a bit. 

When he felt he was at a safe distance, he sat down by a large rock and pulled his bag off of his shoulders, hissing in pain. He took the water bottle out first, taking his hoodie off to inspect his shoulder. The bleeding had stopped, but it needed to get treated soon or else it would get infected. He poured a bit of water onto it and let out a small cry. It stung horribly, but he couldn't let something so small stop him. 

He was going to make sure his brothers got out alive. He wasn't so sure if he was going to be able to, but he'd do his best to support his brothers. It wasn't fair that he had to start like this, though... Why had Hisao shot him? He was only warning his brother to sit down. It was going to be hard for Karamatsu to keep his mind off of it. 

Karamatsu wrapped his shoulder with his blue hoodie, pressing it onto the wound to absorb any remaining blood. He tied the sleeves around it twice to keep it securely in place. He'd lost a fair amount of the water he'd had with him, but at least there was a smaller risk of infection in his arm now. He sighed and crossed his legs, placing his bag in his lap. He rummaged through the bag and pulled out a large shotgun. He turned it over in his hands, his face blank. 

Karamatsu didn't want to fight. He was never a fighter, and he wasn't ever going to be. He wasn't gonna play this cruel game. He threw the gun to the side, digging through the other contents of his bag. He pulled out the map and compass, peering over it to figure out where to meet Chibita when he heard soft footsteps nearby. He froze, his hand slowly moving back towards the shotgun. He didn't want to have to use it, but just in case...

He held his breath and waited for the footsteps to pass, knowing that no matter who it could possibly be, he was at a disadvantage if they attacked him. 

“...Hello?” a familiar voice said, rather nervously. “I know you're there... I don't want to hurt you....” Karamatsu stood and peered around the side of the boulder, astonished. 

“C-Choromatsu?” He couldn't believe it. One of his brothers had actually managed to find him! Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. Choromatsu jumped, wheeling around in surprise.

“Karamatsu, is that you? Oh my god!” He ran over to his older brother, hugging him tightly. Karamatsu hissed in pain and Choromatsu immediately let go of him. 

“S-Shit, sorry...! Are you okay?” 

Karamatsu nodded. “I'm in great shape now that you're here! Have you seen the others? I need us to all get together. We're gonna find a way to get out of here, I know it,” he said in confidence. 

Choromatsu shook his head. “I haven't.. I didn't even think I'd see any of us again, to be honest....” He seemed to have noticed the gun in Karamatsu's hand. “Is that your weapon?” 

“Yeah, but I'm not using it. I'm not playing this stupid game.” Karamatsu tossed it to the side again, confused by the confused glance that Choromatsu was giving him. 

“You're... What? What do you mean you're not playing?” Choromatsu tensed. 

Karamatsu nodded. “We shouldn't be fighting like this. I'm not going to die a killer.” He leaned on the boulder, resting his bad arm on it. 

“...Whatever. I'll take it then,” replied Choromatsu, brushing off Karamatsu's painful comment.

Karamatsu shook his head. “Brother don't. We can get out of this! You don't need that.”

Taken aback, Choromatsu's eyes widened. “You can't be serious... Do you actually think you can save everyone?! Did you just happen to miss Aida and Shaolin?! Because I sure didn't!! I'm never gonna get the fucking image of their fucking dead bodies out of my head! Someone's already trying to kill us!” He yelled, his voice cracking as he started to tear up. 

Karamatsu looked hurt. “Choromatsu...” 

“You can't possibly think that you can just magically get everyone to calm down, and we'll get out of this!! We're going to DIE, Karamatsu!!” Choromatsu was shaking, hot tears rolling down his cheeks. 

“Choromatsu, calm down...” Karamatsu rested a hand on his shoulder, but Choromatsu batted it away. He sunk down to the ground, leaning on the closest tree. 

“H-How am I supposed to be calm? H-How are YOU so calm?” he sobbed, burying his face in his hands. 

Karamatsu had seen him like this before. Choromatsu had pretty frequent anxiety attacks back in school, but they were never this bad. 

“Choromatsu, I'm sorry..” Karamatsu sat down in front of him, pulling Choromatsu's hand away from his face gently. Shooting a glare at his brother, Choromatsu stared at the ground blankly, sobbing softly.

“There's hope for us. We've just got to work together, okay? We'll find our brothers, I promise.”

“W-We can't...”

“Not with that attitude.” Karamatsu brushed Choromatsu's hair out of his face with his hand, smiling at him. 

“C'mon. Get up, it's gonna be okay...” He stood up, helping his younger brother get to his feet. 

“I'll take the shotgun just in case we need it, okay?” Choromatsu nodded, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. 

“Okay. Chibita gave me a note before he left telling me to go to the furthest east part of the map, so we should head that way.” 

Choromatsu furrowed his brow. “C-Chibita? Can we trust him?” 

Karamatsu frowned. “Of course. He's my best friend.” 

Choromatsu shifted his feet slightly. “Okay..” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small box shaped object with a single small screen. Curiously, Karamatsu asked, 

“What's that?” 

“I-It's how I found you,” he replied, sniffling. “It's my weapon. It's a collar tracker.” He motioned to Karamatsu to come closer, showing him two glowing dots on the screen. “That's us right there.” 

“Oh, huh. Maybe we can use it to find the others!” Karamatsu smiled, a spark of hope in his eyes. “I think we should find Chibita first, though. I don't want him to think that I... You know...” He trailed off, his smile fading. 

Choromatsu nodded, wiping his face on his sleeve again. “Yeah.” He pulled his compass out, finding the arrow pointing to the east. “Let's go, then.”


	5. Chapter Five (Ichimatsu)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's not much to say about this one tbh

Ichimatsu wandered through the woods listlessly, a blank expression spread across his face. He'd known some bullshit like this would happen to them someday. Regardless, he was still pissed. 

He didn't even want to win, but he didn't want his brothers to die, either. He hoped that he'd be able to find them before anything happened to them. As apathetic about death as he was, he was forcing himself to continue. He couldn't let his brothers down like that. If they were to win, they'd need to stay strong. If they heard their brother's name on the announcements, that wouldn't help them at all.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't realize he'd found a small cabin until he was only about ten feet away. He heard quiet movement from inside, and approached slowly. He knocked on the door softly, hearing a high pitched cry of surprise from the inside. 

“...'Ello?” He said flatly. No response. 

“I know you're there, you shrieked pretty loudly.” 

“G-Go away!” he heard a small, shaky voice from just the other side of the door. He wasn't sure who it was, he didn't really talk to anyone besides his brothers. 

“I'm not gonna hurt you. Promise,” He said lazily. 

“H-how do I know that?!” He heard her voice crack. 

“Look through the window. I'm unarmed.” 

He watched a small figure peek through the window, and he raised his hands to show he was unarmed. He still didn't recognize her, he was horrible with names. The girl disappeared behind the window, and Ichimatsu heard the click of a door unlocking. 

He opened the handle and stepped inside, yawning. It was obvious that the cabin hadn't been used in ages, as everything seemed to be covered in a blanket of dust.

“'Sup?” He said tiredly. 

The girl remained quiet, staring at Ichimatsu.

“...'Kay then.” He sat on a dusty armchair and pulled his water bottle out, taking a huge gulp from it. 

“W-What do you want..?” The girl inquired, shaking like a leaf. 

“Somewhere to relax. Is there any food here?”

The girl was dumbfounded by how calm he was. 

“I-I think so... Why aren't you scared?” 

He shrugged. “I don't really care what happens. I don't wanna spend what little time I have left worrying about stupid shit.” He stood, walking to the little kitchen, opening the cabinets. There was a small bag of rice and a long forgotten tomato that was practically coated in ants. Rice it was, then. 

“Who are you again? I'm bad with names.” 

“I'm Monoko... You're Jyushimatsu, right?” 

He snorted, checking to see if the burners on the stovetop still worked at all. Somehow, the fuel was still running. “Nah. I'm Ichimatsu. He's better than me.” He grabbed an old pot, wiping it with his sleeve before emptying the contents of his water bottle into it. He found the other things to add to the water fairly easily, as it was such a small kitchen.

“Oh..” She trailed off, watching him.

He went back to the old chair, waiting for the water to boil. Yawning loudly, he scratched the back of his neck. “You get a good weapon?” 

She shrugged. “I got this...” She held up a large meat cleaver that looked a bit dull. “I don't want to use it. I think I'm just going to hide here... then I-I'll be okay...” 

Ichimatsu raised his eyebrows. “Huh.” 

“What'd you get? She slowly walked over to the sofa in the small living room, sitting down across from him. She seemed to be getting more comfortable around him. 

“A knife a bit smaller than yours,” he lied. “I left it out somewhere else in the woods though. I've got no reason to defend myself anyway.” He didn't want to alarm her. 

“Ah...” Monoko looked down sadly. “Why do you say that?” 

He stood up. “Water's boiling.” He went to the kitchen, avoiding her question. Did he even have an answer to it? Hell if he knew. He poured the small amount of rice into the pot, putting the lid on. He felt Monoko's stare boring into him. 

“I just don't want anyone to get hurt because of me, I guess.” He lied again.

She nodded. They sat in silence while the rice cooked.

“You know, I always thought you were kind of creepy to be honest, but now I feel bad for never having talked to you before. You're really nice...” 

He didn't know how to respond to that. He took the lid off of the pot, watching the steam rise. He looked around in a few of the cabinets, taking out a pair of old bowls. He scooped the rice into the bowls, humming absentmindedly. He brought them back to the little living room, handing one of the bowls to Monoko. 

“Thanks.” Monoko smiled at him. 

“Mhmm.” He rummaged through his little bag, taking out a couple of rations of bread. “We can split these too, if you want.” He handed her a piece, biting into his own. 

She took it, thanking him between mouthfuls of rice. 

“I'm kind of glad you showed up. I was gonna be so lonely...” She sighed. 

Ichimatsu nodded, gnawing on his bread. 

“You make really good rice.” She grinned at him again. Why was she being so nice to him? He hated it. 

“I guess.” 

“You wouldn't happen to have any water left, would you? I drank all of mine earlier...” She asked, coughing. 

Ichimatsu shook his head, looking away from her. 

“Ah, bummer-” She stopped abruptly, seized by a coughing fit. She gripped her chest and wheezed, gasping for air in between coughs. She fell from her chair onto her knees, retching violently. She cried out in horror when she saw the floor in front of her drenched in blood. She kept hacking, tears streaming from her eyes. “I-Ichi...!” She managed to get that much out before she collapsed not far away from him, falling still. He almost felt bad for her, but not quite. 

His real weapon was a tiny bottle, labeled with a bunch of words he didn't recognize and a little skull and crossbones. Whatever it was, it had worked pretty well for him.

He took another bite from his bread and stood, leaving his bowl of rice untouched. He grabbed the meat cleaver that Monoko had left on the table and exited the cabin, going wherever his feet took him.


	6. Chapter Six (Jyushimatsu)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my name is cass and i hate myself
> 
> (sorry this one's so short! i feel it's for good reason though.)

Jyushimatsu was walking along the shore of the island, his large bag slung over his shoulder. He didn't want to play this game, so he was just going to ignore it. He was going to have fun exploring the island while everyone else played Hisao's dumb game. Maybe he'd even come across his brothers, or Homura! He skipped along the shore happily at the thought of finding his friends again. 

He saw someone on a ledge over the shore, actually! He couldn't tell who it was exactly, but he was on good terms with everyone he knew. 

“HEYYY!” He shouted, trying to get their attention. The figure froze and looked in his direction. He could tell from their silhouette that they were wearing a long skirt, and their hair was held back in a single loose braid. He thought for a moment, thinking of who it could be. He then realized it must be Homura! He called out again as the figure started to move again. 

“HOMURA!!! IT'S JYUSHIMATSU!! COME DOWN HERE!!” He waved his arms wildly, trying to catch her attention. She looked at him briefly before moving closer to the end of the ledge. 

He frowned. Did she not believe it was him? 

Jyushimatsu ran closer to the ledge, still waving his arms. “HOMURA!! HEYYY!!!” He was about to start running up the hill so he could meet her on the ledge before his heart dropped. He watched in disbelief as Homura started to run and then threw herself off the end of the cliff. 

His run came to an abrupt stop as he watched her falling, and then heard the unmistakable sound of something- no, someone- hitting the water hard. 

Jyushimatsu just stood there, eyes wide. He couldn't believe it. His mind clouding, he approached the shore at the bottom of the ledge. He'd find her, and she'd be ok. She had to be. He looked out in the water, and then saw her floating in the water. A glimmer of hope sparked within him as he ran into the water to get her. He'd swam about 40 feet from the shore when he finally was able to get her. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he began kicking his way back to shore. The waves kept pulling him back, dragging him underwater. Every time he was dragged under, he came back up, gasping for air. He couldn't stop now. He had to hang on for her, he wasn't going to let his best friend die!

He finally approached the shore around thirty minutes later, his whole body sore. He threw himself onto the ground by Homura, his chest rising and falling deeply. He sat up and coughed, sea water spewing from his mouth. He caught his breath, and then looked to Homura. She still hadn't moved. Jyushimatsu dragged himself over to her, putting his ear to her chest to listen for a heartbeat. 

Silence.

He shook her gently, losing hope quickly. “H-Homura....” His voice cracked, heartbroken. 

He rested his head on her once again, shaking, desperate to hear even the faintest trace of a heartbeat. 

Nothing. 

He burst into tears, sobbing hysterically. He felt empty.


	7. Chapter Seven - Todomatsu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW, sorry this took so long to upload! it's a lot longer than the other chapters though, so at least it should be worth the wait!

Shivering, Todomatsu wrapped the old knitted shawl he'd found in an abandoned lodge around his shoulders. Although he was inside, he still had good reason to tremble. 

He was thinking of camping out in the little house until the end, but he wasn't so sure. He hadn't managed to find any of his brothers yet, and he had little faith that he would ever see them again. 

All he knew is that his brothers were probably gonna end up getting themselves killed, as much as he hated to say it. He loved them deeply, but they all had flaws that were going to impede them. 

Osomatsu was too brash and would get confident too easily, overestimating his ability and ending up dead. Karamatsu was probably thinking of some dumb plan to save everyone, if he hadn't already been killed. Knowing Choromatsu, he was probably losing his mind from anxiety. He actually wasn't sure about what Ichimatsu could be up to... It was likely that he could have offed himself already, but Todomatsu could only wonder if he'd been the cause of the death of the two girls by the building. As for Jyushimatsu, he had absolutely no idea. He'd known Jyushimatsu his whole life, but he was never able to tell what went on in his head. He could be doing anything, for all he knew. 

An idea then came to him. He slipped his hand into his pocket, overjoyed to feel that he still had his phone. He whipped it out of his pocket and opened his contacts, hitting his mom's number. Maybe she'd be able to help them out somehow! He waited, holding his breath. The phone rang for a few drawn out seconds, and then someone picked up. 

“...Kaa-san!” Todomatsu sobbed. “A-Are you okay?!” 

There was a long pause. 

“....Totty.” The voice was unfamiliar to him.  
“I told you, there's no point in trying to escape.” The person on the other line laughed. Todomatsu realized who it was, and shrieked, throwing his phone across the room. Hisao. 

He hugged his knees to his chest, sobbing. It was hopeless, wasn't it? He'd never be able to live a normal life. He couldn't now, even if he won. He'd have to live knowing that his brothers were gone forever. He'd be a killer. The idea was too much for him. Beginning to space out, he stared at the wall blankly until he heard a small beep from his collar. He nearly jumped in alarm. “Hello, students!” Todomatsu recognized it as Hisao's voice, and gritted his teeth.“I see you're all off to a good start. So far, four of your classmates have lost the game.” 

Todomatsu tensed in fear that he'd hear one of five names. He held his breath and listened, still shaking. 

“Female Student #1: Shaolin! It's a shame, too. I had high hopes for her,” he remarked. It was disturbing how little Hisao seemed to care... The way that he spoke sounded like mere disappointment, as if he'd just lost a bet at the racetrack. 

“Female Student #2: Aida!” Todomatsu's trembles grew in magnitude as he started to cry softly. She was one of his good friends, and it hurt to know he'd never be able to talk to her again. 

“Female Student #4: Monoko!” He didn't know her too well, but she'd seemed like a nice person. 

“Female Student #6: Homura!” He sighed. He was at least relieved that his brothers were okay. 

“Areas B3, D1, F4 and E5 will be off-limits in 15 minutes. Better get moving! Good luck to the rest of you.” 

Todomatsu heard the mic on the collar click off. Shuddering, he opened his bag and found his map, trying to figure out his location. 

There was a little house similar to the one he was in marked on the square of B3. Todomatsu cursed under his breath. He'd need to move, now. He shoved his map back in his bag, taking out the handgun he'd been given as a weapon. He threw his bag over his shoulder and exited the house as quietly as he could. He was beginning to walk back into the woods as he heard a small voice from nearby. 

“Where are you going, jo?” Todomatsu froze and turned around.

“Hi Totty, jo!” he watched Hatabou come out from one side of the house. 

“H-Hatabou! Hey! You scared me for a minute there...” 

“Why aren't you still scared, jo?” He raised his weapon, a long and pointed metal pole. 

Todomatsu's heart stopped. “Wh-what...” 

“Just kidding, jo!” Hatabou lowered the pole, approaching Todomatsu.

Todomatsu stared at him with wide eyes for a second and then laughed uncomfortably. 

“H-Ha... Very funny, Hatabou...” He looked around nervously, hoping he'd be able to make a run for it if he needed to. “I, um, need to get going. This area's unsafe...” 

Hatabou eyed him suspiciously for a moment. “Can I come with you, jo?” 

Todomatsu felt his guts twisting. He was afraid to say no, but if he said yes, he wasn't sure why Hatabou wanted to come with him. He didn't realize it, but he was shaking again. 

“I-I'd rather.... travel alone...” His right hand was resting on his handgun. 

“Alone?” Hatabou frowned. “You don't wanna be with me, jo?” Something about his voice seemed different. “Why, jo?” 

“I need to be alone, that's all!” He snapped, starting to walk away. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, annoyed. He continued walking, but soon realized that he was being followed. Irritated, he turned around. “Hatabou, leav- AH!” He cried out, astonished. Hatabou was directly in front him, pointing the pole to Todomatsu. He could feel it touching his chin, and he stepped back, terrified. 

“Totty,” Hatabou said darkly. “You're not going anywhere, jo.” 

Todomatsu screamed as Hatabou ran at him, turning to flee. He panted, starting to gain ground. He saw a ledge nearby that he'd probably be able to climb that was too short for Hatabou. He picked up speed knowing that he was going to make it, he was going to be okay-!” 

Todomatsu tripped, falling on his side and dropping his gun. He yelped as a searing pain went through his foot. It had been ensnared under a large tree root, now bent at an odd angle. He looked up to see Hatabou catching up to him, the pointed end of the pole level with his head. He shrieked in terror, struggling to free himself from the grip of the root to no avail. Hatabou was close, too close for Todomatsu to do anything about it now. He closed his eyes tightly, bracing himself for the tip of the pole to tear into his face-

He heard a new voice roaring with fury, and a high pitched scream in response from Hatabou. Todomatsu opened his eyes one at a time, taking in what was happening. Was that...Ichimatsu?

Ichimatsu tackled Hatabou with a snarl, grabbing the pole and pointing it away from himself. Hatabou gasped as he forcefully hit the ground, yanking his pole away from his attacker. Ichimatsu sprang on him, gripping one of Hatabou's small wrists with one hand as he raised Monoko's meat cleaver with the other. Hatabou kicked up at Ichimatsu from underneath him, his feet meeting Ichimatsu's ribs. Ichimatsu gasped, his grip on Hatabou's wrists loosening up. Hatabou regained control of the pole, and took the opportunity to jab the other in the gut with it. Ichimatsu howled in pain and fell on his side, clutching his belly with his free hand. 

He watched as Hatabou got to his feet and raised the pole, ready to finish Ichimatsu off. As the pole was descending, Ichimatsu rolled to the other side, knocking Hatabou's feet out from underneath him. Hatabou yelped in surprise, hitting the ground once again. Ichimatsu gripped Hatabou's shoulder with his free hand, and then shakily raised the meat cleaver. 

He brought it down at full force, ripping into Hatabou. He didn't hear Hatabou's cries. He didn't hear his pleas for mercy. He didn't feel anything other than sheer rage as he brought the blade up and back down again, stabbing his former friend until the front of Hatabou's shirt showed no evidence of being any color other than red. He felt someone tapping on his shoulder and whirled around with a snarl, glaring furiously at his brother. 

“I-Ichimatsu, stop!” Totty grabbed Ichimatsu's wrist, holding his arm still. “He's dead. Stop it.” Ichimatsu looked back at Hatabou, wheezing. He returned his gaze to his brother, nodding. 

“Are you... okay?” Todomatsu tried to tear his eyes from the hole in Ichimatsu's hoodie, where he'd been stabbed with the pole. It was bleeding heavily, and it didn't look like it was going to stop any time soon. Ichimatsu winced and nodded. 

“Are you?” asked his older brother.

Todomatsu looked back at his distorted foot. “I've.... been a lot better.” He laughed tiredly. 

Ichimatsu nodded, wincing as he pulled himself off the ground. 

“We need to get out of here. Now.” Ichimatsu held out his hand to his brother to help him up. 

Todomatsu took it, leaning on Ichimatsu for support. “But... your stomach..” 

Ichimatsu shook his head. “This area's unsafe. We've got to go.”

“But-”

“We'll worry about it later. Come ON.” Ichimatsu snarled. 

“Fine, fine.” He wondered how much time they'd already wasted in the off-limits zone.. The two of them trudged through the woods for a while in silence until they came across a place that looked suitable to rest at.


	8. Chapter Eight (Osomatsu, Totoko)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's not gay if it's in battle royale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry oso's part is so short l m a o 
> 
> i've been wanting to write something involving Totoko for a while though and hadn't had any mention of her since the program started, so i figured it was about time i added her part!

Osomatsu wandered along the northern shore of the island, dragging his hatchet through the sand. He hadn't run into anyone since the program had started, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. He'd been wandering aimlessly, hoping that he'd find at least one friendly face, but he seemed to be far away from everything. He didn't even care if he “lost” at this point, he just didn't want to be alone anymore. 

He sighed, wanting to curl up and go to sleep. He wasn't sure what time it was, but he was drained of energy. Regardless, he was going to try to stay awake. He wandered along the beach, humming a song he'd forgotten the name to. He then noticed a large lump in the flat sand not far away. Curious, he walked underneath the large cliff above the shore over to it. There were various flowers sticking out of the mound of sand erratically, clearly put there by somebody. He squatted down and scooped away at the side of it, crying out and falling back in surprise when he saw a human hand. He looked around, wondering who took the time to bury a body in the middle of all of this. He couldn't tell who was buried, and he wasn't gonna stick around to find out. 

He began walking towards the woods again, sick of hearing nothing but the waves crashing against the shore, not a single sign of life nearby other than himself.

Sachiko shivered, searching the small, abandoned shack she'd found for some sort of protection from the cold. The shack would work fine for her as a hiding place- she could easily make a barrier with assorted stuff lying around in the shack.

She'd gotten an immensely useful weapon- a machine gun, but she wasn't planning on killing anyone. She'd only do that if someone broke in and attacked her. But that wouldn't happen! She had made sure that nobody had followed her, so it was unlikely that someone would just find her somehow. She accidentally bumped into a table, knocking a plate off of it. As if on cue, she heard a small voice from outside. 

“Hello? I-Is anyone there?” Sachiko recognized the voice as Totoko's. She held her breath. She never really talked to Totoko,but she did like her. She wasn't sure if she should take the risk of letting her inside. Maybe if she stayed quiet, she'd go away.....

“P-Please?... I'm so scared....” Totoko sniffled.

Sachiko was beginning to feel bad for her. She approached a window, looking out at her. She was shaking, wiping her eyes on her sleeves. She looked absolutely terrified. Sachiko unlocked the door and opened it a bit.

“...Totoko?” She said just loud enough for Totoko to hear. 

“Oh my god! Sachiko!” Totoko burst through the door, wrapping her arms around Sachiko tightly. Sachiko was a little startled by the sudden show of affection, but it was understandable. Totoko must be WAY more scared than she was, the way she was acting. She patted her back, trying her best to comfort her. 

“Totoko, it's okay.. I'm not gonna hurt you....” She'd always had a bit of a crush on Totoko, but she'd never had the guts to talk to her. She wouldn't mind teaming up with her, if Totoko would become stable enough to fight. She ran her fingers through Totoko's hair as she sobbed into her shoulder. 

Totoko pulled away from her, wiping her eyes. “A-ah, sorry! I was just so glad that I found someone that I can trust.... She smiled weakly, sniffling. 

“Aw, it's alright..” She wasn't even aware that Totoko even knew her name until now. She was so much more popular than her... “Do you want to, um... team up with me? We can do this together, if you want to! You don't have to do this alone, Totoko...” 

Totoko's eyes widened and she smiled. She nodded, hugging Sachiko again. “S-Sachiko.... Thank you so much...!” 

Sachiko nodded, flustered. “It's fine, Totoko! Really.” 

Totoko let go of her again, now looking around the small house. “It's cold....” 

Sachiko nodded, frowning. “Yeah. I was looking for something to fix that before you showed up, but I couldn't even find any blankets...” She rubbed her arms in an effort to warm herself as she sat down on the floor.

“Ah...” Totoko sighed, sinking down onto the floor next to Sachiko. “Maybe if we just sit close together, we'll be able to keep each other warm!” She gave a friendly smile, still a bit sniffly. She still looked so cute to Sachiko, regardless of her tearful face. Sachiko felt her face heating up. 

“Y-Yeah, that's a good idea..”

Totoko giggled. “Why don't we try to lighten up the mood in here a bit? I-I don't wanna be scared for the rest of my life.” 

“Don't say that! What if you do make it out? Don't be so pessimistic!” Sachiko looked at her with wide eyes. 

“Heh, as if... I'm surprised I made it even this far,” Totoko remarked. “You're much more suited to be the winner anyway. They want to have someone cute to be the winner.” Sachiko blushed furiously. 

“You can't be serious.... Me? Cute?!” Sachiko demanded jokingly. 

“Shut up, you know it's true!” Totoko laughed. “What'd you get as a weapon, anyway?” 

Sachiko was confused for a moment and then remembered where they were. 

“Oh, I got this...” She picked up the machine gun next to her, showing it to Totoko. “I don't plan on using it though. I think we should just stay put for the rest of the game... Maybe then we could figure something out...” She trailed off, wondering what they'd do if it came down to just the two of them. 

Totoko nodded. “Yeah, that's probably a good idea! It's gonna be so boring though.....” She sighed lazily. 

“Yeah, but at least we'll live...” Sachiko yawned. 

Totoko giggled. “I know how we can pass the time!”

Sachiko looked at her curiously. “How's that?” 

Totoko moved closer to her and took Sachiko's hand, leaning in and kissing her. Sachiko gasped in surprise and her face reddened. She wasn't expecting THAT, but she was more than happy with it. She held Totoko's hand and closed her eyes, reaching for where Totoko's other hand had been moments ago- only to meet with empty space. 

She opened her eyes, confused. She didn't realize what was happening until she felt a sudden sharp pain in her side. She cried out in pain and looked away from Totoko's face, gasping when she saw a large knife jabbed into her side. She didn't understand. She looked up at Totoko again and then the realization hit her like a train when she saw the maniacal grin on Totoko's face. She was such an idiot, trusting someone she barely knew. Totoko hadn't been scared at all. She'd known what she was doing the whole time... 

“That's my weapon,” Totoko said cheerfully. “I wasn't sure how well it was gonna work out for me, but I think I like it! Yours will probably be of a lot more use to me, though.” She stood, twisting the knife as she yanked it out of Sachiko's side. 

Sachiko shrieked in pain, moving away from Totoko across the floor as fast as she could. Totoko ignored her cries, picking up the large gun. Sachiko watched her, backing into a corner of the little shack. Totoko opened the door, and then stopped. She looked back inside and blew a kiss to Sachiko. 

“Seeya, love!” She then turned and left Sachiko, slamming the door of the shack behind her. 

Sachiko dragged herself across the floor, trying to reach up and open the door. Her vision was clouding, and each time she reached for it she only met with the air. Minutes later, she gave up, falling to the floor sobbing as what little strength she had left left her.

 

Totoko skipped away from the shitty little shack happily. This was her chance to make it big, and things were looking a LOT better for her now that she had an actually good weapon. She smiled to herself, hoping to run into someone else soon.


	9. Chapter Nine (Choromatsu)

Choromatsu stared ahead of himself blankly as he walked alongside Karamatsu. His mind was so clouded with thoughts of both happy and grave endings that could happen that he could barely see straight. He was about to trip over a large branch, but he felt a tap on his shoulder that jolted him back into reality. 

“What?!” Choromatsu snapped, unaware of how angry he sounded. 

Karamatsu raised his eyebrows at his younger brother's tone of voice. “I was gonna tell you to be careful. You almost tripped...” He looked hurt. 

Choromatsu frowned, looking in front of him. A large tree branch rested before them, moss draped across it like a soft green blanket. “Ah. Sorry.” A blanket sounded really nice to Choromatsu. He was beginning to think of home again when Karamatsu spoke. 

“Choromatsu? How far east are we? We've been walking for a while..” He scratched the back of his neck with his good arm. 

Remembering where they were, he paused. “Ah, hold on. I'll look.” Choromatsu pulled the little collar tracker out. “We're around... C5, I think. And someone seems to be in that direction!” He turned it to show his brother. Karamatsu nodded, and then frowned. 

“Wait a minute. There's a fourth dot. In D5, I think.” 

“What? Let me see.” Choromatsu took it, locating the dot Karamatsu was referring to. He tensed. It could be anyone. If they were lucky, it would be one of their brothers, if none of them had kicked the bucket yet. If they were unlucky, it could be one of the people playing the game. He stared off into space, stopping. 

Karamatsu turned around, a confused look on his face. “Choromatsu?” 

The third oldest brother snapped out of his trance. “Yeah?”   
“What's wrong?” 

He shrugged. “I'm just.. afraid, I guess. What if it isn't one of our brothers?” 

Karamatsu walked over to him, patting his back gently. “Hey, don't think like that! Worst case scenario, we can just talk to whoever it is until they've calmed down.”

Choromatsu sighed, getting sick of his brother's unrealistic ideologies of everyone getting along. Had he just not heard the announcements or anything?! People were dying. Karamatsu needed to realize that the worst case scenario of this situation was both of them ending up dead. 

“Okay, fine. Let's go.” Karamatsu nodded, following him. 

He couldn't help but feeling that they were being watched. 

He tried not to think about it, focusing on his surroundings instead. He could faintly hear the sound of waves lapping against the shore in the distance. He looked down at the tracking device, happy to see that they were getting closer to the furthest east dot but at the same time alarmed to see the fourth dot moving closer to their location. 

He tapped Karamatsu's shoulder gently, stopping. 

Karamatsu yelped in pain at the sudden touch of his injured shoulder. “O-Ow!!” He glared at Choromatsu. “What is it?” 

“Pipe down a bit, will you?!” Choromatsu hissed. 

Offended, Karamatsu crossed his arms and opened his mouth to say something in return, but Choromatsu gave him a sharp glare. “Seriously!! I need to tell you something!!” 

Karamatsu sighed. “Okay, what is it?” he whispered. 

“We're really close to the eastern shore.” He saw the glimmer of hope in Karamatsu's eyes. “But.” 

“But?” 

“The fourth dot is also really close to us. We need to hurry to Chibita if we want to make it there alive. If the third dot even IS Chibita.” He really hoped that it was. 

“Of course it's him. Let's go now, if you're so worried about it,” replied Karamatsu in a hushed voice. 

Choromatsu nodded and picked up his pace, the ocean coming into view. There was a small, wooden shack on the sand that looked old and worn down. He pointed to it, looking behind him to make sure Karamatsu saw, and then he ran to it. 

He pulled on the door to no avail, hearing a familiar yell of surprise from the inside. 

“Chibita, open up! It's us!!” Karamatsu shouted. 

“Dammit, Karamatsu! You could have knocked!!” Choromatsu heard movement from the inside before the door flung open and Chibita came out, hugging Karamatsu tightly. 

“I thought you would have died by now!” Chibita exclaimed. “Are you okay?” He pulled away from Karamatsu. 

“Yeah, I'm alright. Are you?”   
Chibita shrugged. “Has anyone REALLY been okay in the past few hours?” He looked around, just now noticing Choromatsu. “Oh, hey!” 

Choromatsu waved, a little irritated that Karamatsu was getting all the attention. “Hey.” 

“Well, come inside! I'm gonna need to take a look at your shoulder, Karamatsu.” 

Karamatsu shook his head. “Ah, non non, that's not necessary...!” 

Chibita took his hand and pulled him inside, nodding. “Shut up, I know it hurts! Stop trying to act all tough, you idiot.” 

Karamatsu sighed. “Fine..” 

Choromatsu followed them into the little shack, yawning. He noticed a lengthy spear leaning against one of the walls, guessing that it was Chibita's weapon. He took Karamatsu's bag off his shoulders and leaned the shotgun against the wall next to the spear. 

“Whoa, is that your weapon?” Chibita remarked, looking up from the second oldest brother's shoulder. 

Choromatsu shook his head. “It's Karamatsu's. Mine's a collar tracker.” He took it from his pocket and turned it to Chibita. 

“Oh, that must be how you found me then!” 

Choromatsu nodded, then tensed, remembering the fourth dot. He looked at the tracker, somewhat relieved to see that the extra dot hadn't moved. It seemed to had stopped completely. He wasn't sure if he should be happy or suspicious about it.... He brushed it off for now. They were safe at the moment, and that's all they needed to worry about.


	10. Chapter Ten (Ichimatsu)

Ichimatsu yawned, resting his head on his arm as he looked out the window and kept watch. They'd come across a decently sized cabin and rested there. Todomatsu had found some bandages in the bathroom and wrapped up Ichimatsu's gash and his own foot not long after they'd arrived. Todomatsu could barely walk, and any hope that Ichimatsu had of their escape was quickly dwindling. 

Both his and Todomatsu's stomachs had been growling since the fight, as they'd both eaten their rations of bread already. Neither of them had said anything about it yet though, as there wasn't much to do about it. 

They'd already searched the little house for food, and all that it had left was a few long rotten radishes and a horribly moldy cut of fish, none of them edible. They'd been conversing with each other to try to keep their minds off of it. 

“....and I just don't get why he thought he could wear that outside, I mean, really!” Todomatsu was rambling about something that Ichimatsu hadn't been paying attention to. 

“Mhmm,” Ichimatsu grunted anyway, unsure of what he was agreeing to. 

“You're awfully quiet... Are you okay, Ichimatsu?” Todomatsu broke away from his former topic, concerned. 

Ichimatsu shrugged tiredly. “I've been a hell of a lot better... My head hurts like a motherfucker.” He rubbed the back of his head, still peering out the window. “And I'm hungry.” It was about time one of them brought up the lack of food. 

Todomatsu nodded. “Me too... Do you think there's any wild animals out here that we could trap, or something?” 

Ichimatsu shrugged again. “I haven't seen any...” He sighed. 

“Maybe there's some fruit somewhere outside? Todomatsu added, sounding hopeful. 

Ichimatsu HAD seen a lot of greenery outside, and surely someone who used to live on the island had grown food. He just hadn't thought to check until Todomatsu mentioned it. “I think you might be right.” 

Todomatsu stood, wincing. “We can go look around outside! There's got to be SOMETHING edible out there, they wouldn't let us just starve to death.” 

Ichimatsu shook his head, standing up. “No, you're not going. You can't walk. Stay here and watch our stuff.”

Todomatsu opened his mouth to say something in protest, but Ichimatsu glared at him. 

“Totty, please.”

“...Fine. Take my handgun with you, though.” Todomatsu slid it across the table to his brother. Ichimatsu picked it up and nodded. 

“If someone tries to break in, you know where the meat cleaver is. If that won't help, just scream and I'll come back.” 

He waited for Todomatsu's nod before heading out the door. 

The fresh air felt good, but it was hard to appreciate anything in his circumstances. He walked not too far into the woods, inspecting all the greenery for signs of anything that they could eat. He didn't know much about plants, so he wasn't going to just grab the first berries he saw. He'd try to find something he knew. He saw a bush with small, red berries that looked tempting, but he wasn't sure if that was a good idea or not. He decided against it and kept walking. 

As he walked through a particularly grassy part of the woods, a little bush caught his attention. 

When he took a closer look at it, he saw little clusters of what appeared to be blueberries. Relieved to have found something, he picked handfuls of them and put them into his jacket pocket. There weren't a whole lot of them, but at least it was something. He looked around, hoping to find more of the little bushes, but he never saw any more. He started to walk back from where he came, not wanting to keep his brother waiting. 

He knocked on the door, sighing. “Open up, it's Ichimatsu.” 

He heard movement from inside and then he was welcomed back inside by Todomatsu. 

“Did you find anything?” Todomatsu looked hopeful. 

Ichimatsu reached into his pocket and showed his brother the berries he'd found. “Yep. They look a little dark in color, but I'm pretty sure they're blueberries.” 

“Ah, great!” Todomatsu snatched the berries out of his brother's hand, dropping them into his mouth all at once. “Mmm, they're so sweet..!” 

Ichimatsu snorted. “Don't talk with your mouth full, that's gross...” Todomatsu smacked his food louder just to irritate his brother. 

“Ugh, stop it, Totty!” He said with a smirk, as he knew Todomatsu hated the nickname.

“Hey, you stop it!” Todomatsu laughed. 

“I'll stop calling you that when I'm dead,” Ichimatsu replied, then realizing that this wasn't a good time for his morbid humor. 

Todomatsu's laughter faded, and he frowned. 

“Uh, never mind. Sorry I said that.” Ichimatsu felt uncomfortable. 

“N-No, you're fine,” Todomatsu tried to assure his brother. “Um, can I get some more of those blueberries?” 

Ichimatsu nodded, taking them all out of his pocket and putting them on the table, sitting down and catching the ones that were about to roll off with his other hand. He ate a few of them himself, letting Todomatsu eat as much as he wanted. His brother mattered more to him than his own hunger, after all. He savored the sweet taste, ecstatic to have something that actually tasted good. He lied back, laughing to himself. They might actually make it, if they kept going like this. They soon ran out of berries, Todomatsu having eaten the majority of them to Ichimatsu's disdain. 

“Hey, Totty!” 

Todomatsu looked at him, strangely happy as well. “Yeah?” 

“How do you think the others are doing? Do you think they're alright?” 

Todomatsu laughed. “Yeah! They can handle themselves. Well, mostly. I don't know about Jyushimatsu, but I'm sure he's doing fine!” 

Ichimatsu nodded. “Yeah. He probably doesn't even know what's going on,” he said jokingly. 

“I bet you anything Karamatsu's killed someone by making them listen to his painful dialogue,” Todomatsu laughed. 

“Heh, probably so.” Ichimatsu yawned. 

Todomatsu giggled, but then frowned. 

“I don't feel so good....”

“Ah, get over it.” Ichimatsu sighed. Why'd he have to ruin the mood? 

“No, I'm serious.... I think I'm gonna....” He clutched his stomach and leaned away from the table as he threw up. 

“Whoa, shit!” Ichimatsu stood up, going to his brother. “Are you alright?” 

Todomatsu looked up at him, his face pale and streaked with tears. “Do I look alright?!” He snapped, his voice strained. “Can you get me some water?” Ichimatsu nodded, now noticing that he was thirsty as well. He got a dusty cup from a cabinet and turned on the sink. It sputtered out a bit of water before it stopped working completely. He took a small sip from it before giving the rest of it to his brother. 

Todomatsu took it and took a huge gulp, setting the cup back on the table. 

“Thanks, I'm-” He leaned over and vomited again, this time a dark red substance mixed in. He trembled in fear at the sight of it, looking up to Ichimatsu.

Ichimatsu stared at him in horror, confused. “T-Totty! Are you-” 

“You tricked me, didn't you...” Todomatsu said, his words slurring together. 

“What?! Todomatsu, I'd never!” He was shaking, taken aback by the accusation.

“Y-You don't even care!!!” Todomatsu exclaimed, falling to his knees and hunching over. “You don't care about me, or our brothers, or anyone!! All you care about is yourself!!” He spat maliciously. “You just want to win!”

Ichimatsu rushed over to help him get up, but Todomatsu pushed him away. 

“G-get away from me!” 

“Todomatsu! I d-didn't fucking trick you!!” He yelled, horrified. “I ate the same goddamn berries that you did!” He then realized that this was probably going to happen to him soon, too. Todomatsu had eaten way more than Ichimatsu had, so that must be why it was happening so fast. 

“Then why aren't you-” Todomatsu vomited again, splattering the floor with his blood.

Ichimatsu held his hands over his mouth, sobbing. “T-Todomatsu..!” 

“S-shut the fuck up!!! Just... Shut up, goddammit!” Todomatsu cried, his voice growing hoarse. “I don't care what you have to say. I thought I could trust you...” 

“P-Please let me help you...!” Ichimatsu whimpered, slowly approaching his brother. 

“You can help me by crawling into a hole and fucking dying,” Todomatsu hissed, growing weaker.

Ichimatsu stepped back, shocked. “Todomatsu...” His voice cracked. He bent down and tried to help his brother up, but Todomatsu just tried to back away and fell onto his side, thrown into a coughing fit that resulted in the floor being spattered with more of his blood.   
"J-Just....” He collapsed, falling still. Ichimatsu rushed to his side immediately. 

“Totty!” He shook his brother furiously, trying to wake him up. 

“Wake up, you JACKASS!”

Todomatsu didn't reply. A small trickle of blood passed through his lips, dripping onto Ichimatsu's pants. Ichimatsu shook him harder, sobbing hysterically. “Todomatsu, please!!” 

He stopped shaking him and checked for a pulse, his mind going blank when he felt nothing. He looked away and vomited, his head hurting at least five times worse than it had earlier. 

His brother was fucking dead, and it was his fault. Todomatsu had died thinking he'd been betrayed by the only person he had left. He stood up, trembling. Todomatsu had died thinking he'd been betrayed by the only person he had left. Ichimatsu was doomed to die the same way that Todomatsu had. When, he didn't know, but he hoped it was soon. He walked over to the kitchen counter, leaning on the sink. He then took notice of the rusty meat cleaver not far away from him. 

He'd been the one to kill his brother, and he deserved so much worse than what he had coming. He reached for the blade and sank onto the floor slowly with it, vomiting from both the stress of the moment and the toxins of the berries. Shaking, he rolled up his sleeves to make things a bit easier. 

Ichimatsu took a deep breath and closed his eyes before plunging the blade into his own arm. He let out a shrill screech of pain, tearing the knife through his own flesh. He couldn't stop, he deserved it. He threw up again at the sight of his maimed arm, and then moved onto the other.

 

Jyushimatsu was wondering through the woods mindlessly, somehow still clinging onto the hope that he'd find one of his brothers again when he heard a high pitched shriek that was all too familiar. He tore through the forest in the direction of the scream, coming upon a shoddy cabin. He heard another wail of pain,that was much quieter than the last from the inside of it. He fumbled with the door's handle, which appeared to be locked. He stepped back and kicked below the door's lock at full force, causing the door to fly open. 

He stormed inside and looked around, his eyes immediately falling on Ichimatsu, who was now curled up on the floor, sobbing in pain as he waited for death to take him. 

Jyushimatsu rushed to his side immediately, dumbfounded. He looked around and saw that the floor was drenched a sickening shade of red, and then he saw the still form of Todomatsu.

Jyushimatsu couldn't believe his eyes.

Ichimatsu looked up and noticed him, not sure if he was hallucinating or if his brother had somehow materialized beside him. 

“J-Jyushimatsu... Is that you...?” He coughed, adding more blood to the floor. 

“Nii-san, w-what.... what happened?” Jyushimatsu asked, the heartbreak evident in his voice. 

Ichimatsu rested his head back onto the floor, sighing deeply

“I-I.... Todomatsu... I fucked up. I deserve this.” He murmured, his voice raspy. 

Jyushimatsu shook his head, his voice cracking. “No, no! You're gonna be okay!! I-I'll fix it!”

Ichimatsu rested his hand on his brother's, stopping him. “J-Jyushimatsu.”

Jyushimatsu met eyes with his brother, his cheeks streaked with tears. “Yeah, Ichimatsu?” 

“Don't worry about me, okay? Do me a favor and get your ass out there and save the others for me. I-I know you can.” He gave a weak smile.

“I-Ichimatsu... Don't go...” Jyushimatsu held his brother's hand tightly. “Please, Ichimatsu..” 

"You'll be okay, I... I promise." Ichimatsu closed his eyes.

"Nii-san? C-come on, please..... I.... I can help..."

No response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hate myself : )


	11. Chapter Eleven: (Karamatsu/Choromatsu)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAA SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO UPLOAD QWQ i just had to take a break from writing, it was MAJORLY fucking up my already fucked up sleep schedule, but now i'll try to update a little more often!

Karamatsu, Choromatsu and Chibita had been conversing with eachother, trying to lighten the mood when three collars clicked on. 

“Gooooood morning, students!” Hisao's voice rang out. 

“You guys have really been outdoing yourselves. Seriously. Well, I've got to read off the names of the losers of this round, so here goes!” 

The three boys looked at eachother. Karamatsu gulped and waited for the names. 

“Male Student #1: Hatabou!” Karamatsu was a little surprised, he would have thought Hatabou would have lasted a little longer. 

“Female Student #5: Sachiko!” 

He didn't know much about her other than the fact that she was one of Todomatsu's friends. A lot of the youngest brother's friends were already gone.... Karamatsu hoped he was okay.

“Male Student #6: Matsuno Ichimatsu!” 

Karamatsu froze. He couldn't have heard that right. Karamatsu and Choromatsu looked to eachother, eyes wide. 

“Male student #8: Matsuno Todomatsu!” 

Choromatsu had turned extremely pale and was shaking violently. 

Karamatsu couldn't believe what he'd just heard. His little brothers couldn't POSSIBLY be dead. This had to be just a dream. Yeah, just a really bad dream. He'd wake up soon, he knew it. He looked to Choromatsu, who was hyperventilating.

“Choromatsu, it's okay, it's okay... It's just a bad dream.” 

Chibita looked at Karamatsu, who was obviously in shock. He wasn't taking this seriously, he didn't believe what was going on was real.

“Karamatsu....” He put his hand on his friend's shoulder. 

Karamatsu ignored him, crouching down by his younger brother's side. 

“Hey, it's okay, it's okay....” 

Choromatsu looked up at him, tears streaking his reddened face. 

“Karamatsu, don't....” Chibita warned him.

“Karamatsu, SHUT UP!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!” 

Karamatsu backed away, surprised at his brother's anger. 

“It's not a fucking dream, you idiot!” He sobbed. “Ichimatsu is fucking dead, Todomatsu is fucking dead, we're probably fucking next....” He trailed off, breathing hard. 

Karamatsu remained silent, unaware how to respond. He was supposed to be the big brother here, but what could he do? The reality of the situation was just now sinking in, and Karamatsu's heart ached. How was he supposed to be strong for his brother when two of them had just died...? He had to try, he had to be there for Choromatsu- 

Karamatsu burst into tears, sobbing hysterically. 

Chibita patted his back, trying to comfort him to the best of his ability. “Hey, Karamatsu...... It's okay...” 

Karamatsu shook his head, burying his face into his hands. “N-No it's not..!” He whimpered. 

“I know, I know...” Chibita had never seen Karamatsu like this before. He'd always seemed so relaxed, so easy to talk to, so... strong. He didn't expect to ever see someone like him breaking down like this. 

Karamatsu turned to look at Chibita, glaring at him harshly.  
“No you DON'T! You don't fucking know! You don't have any fucking brothers, you don't know what it's like to lose someone you've known your entire fucking life! Just... I-I....” He trailed off into sobs again.

“Karamatsu.....” Chibita was going to try to comfort him one last time, but he was cut off by loud gunfire before he could. He stood, as did the two brothers. He heard familiar laughter from outside, and cursed. Totoko. 

“Heyyyy!” She giggled. “C'mon out, won't you? I know you're in theeere!” 

Karamatsu looked to the other two, panicking. 

“I heard you all sobbing about your shitty brothers, there's no need to hide!”

Karamatsu tensed at her statement, grinding his teeth together. He wasn't going to stand for this. He grabbed the shotgun from the wall and shoved the door open, to Choromatsu and Chibita's dismay. 

“Karamatsu, don't-!” Choromatsu cried, reaching out too late to grab his brother's sleeve. Chibita watched in horror from the doorway as Karamatsu was hastily approaching Totoko. 

“Do NOT. Call my brothers. SHITTY.” Karamatsu pointed the shotgun at her, who was still a fair distance away on a grassy hill by the shack. 

“Why shouldn't I? They were never going to amount to anything, and neither are you or the rest of your shitty brothers.” She laughed, bringing up the machine gun. 

He snarled and was about to run at her when he was suddenly pushed out of the way. 

“Karamatsu, RUN-” Chibita shouted, and was abruptly stopped when he was filled with bullets. He looked to Karamatsu before crumpling to the ground. 

Karamatsu looked to his fallen friend, filled with both shock and anger. “C-Chibita...!” He moved his fierce gaze to look at Totoko's smug grin, snarling. “I'LL KILL YOU-!” He was cut off by a sharp tug on his sleeve from his brother. 

“Karamatsu, come ON!!!” Choromatsu yanked on his brother's arm, forcing him to run with him. 

“Choromatsu, let me GO!” snarled Karamatsu. 

“Karamatsu, NO! I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU KILL YOURSELF!!” 

He heard Totoko cackling in the distance, his rage flowing through his blood. He pushed at Choromatsu, yelling. “I h-have to go back! Chibita needs m-” Choromatsu yanked his arm fiercely, pulling him close. “Karamatsu, Chibita is DEAD! HE'S FUCKING DEAD! COME ON!” He then heard the gunfire again, feeling a white-hot burning sensation in his leg - then feeling it ebbing away as it went numb. He cried out in pain, but thanks to Choromatsu, he kept running. They were both sleepless and exhausted, but Choromatsu was determined to keep his brother alive.

Eventually they heard the gunfire fade away. They could only guess that they had lost her, as they'd been running for quite a while. They both collapsed to the ground, catching their breath. Karamatsu struggled to breathe, and watched as Choromatsu approached him. Choromatsu must be in a much better state than Karamatsu was.

“Hey, Kara, are you alright?” Choromatsu crouched down next to his brother. “Did she hurt you at all?” 

Karamatsu nodded and propped himself up with his good arm. “Ngh....” He tried to get up, but collapsed. His legs had been more badly hurt than he'd thought. Choromatsu helped him sit back up, leaning his back against a tree. 

“Hey, hey! Take it easy, okay? Where are you hurt?” 

Karamatsu tried to get up again, hissing in pain. “C-Chibita... I h-have to....” Choromatsu grabbed Karamatsu's arm, stopping him. 

“What's the matter with you, dammit!! Stop!!” Karamatsu looked back to his brother and sat back down, wiping hot tears from his cheeks. 

“H-He's.... gone....” He choked out. “They're g-gone.....” He let his brother move him back, sobbing. “I-I.... I'm..” 

Choromatsu frowned, easing down next to Karamatsu. “Hey, hey... It's... not your fault,” he reassured his brother with a gentle pat on the back. He'd never seen Karamatsu so... hopeless. He'd always been the optimist of the six, never letting anything get him down, but now he was just.. broken. He hated to admit it, but he'd always sort of looked up to Karamatsu. He admired his ability to keep himself together, but who was there to look up to now? His brother wasn't himself anymore, and neither were Ichimatsu or Todomatsu. They were nothing but memories now. He'd never see either of them smile, hear them laugh, hell, he wouldn't even mind hearing one of them cry at the moment, he just wanted something that would tell him that they were still there, and they were okay. But he wouldn't. He'd find out who was responsible, and he'd....

Choromatsu realized he was getting carried away in his thoughts again. Sighing, he rested his hand on his older brother's shoulder, doing his best to ignore the dampness of his bloodstained hoodie. Karamatsu looked up at him. 

“Did you get shot at all?” He asked his little brother in an effort to seem strong again. 

Choromatsu nodded. “Yeah, just a few times... It'll be easy to treat, though. It was only a couple of bullets, I can fix that no problem,” he lied. He shifted to show him a small, bloody hole in the back of his jacket and a couple in his pant legs. “Did she get you?” 

Karamatsu nodded, wiping his eyes with his sleeve as he moved to show Choromatsu. Choromatsu gasped in terror, turning and throwing up. Karamatsu's legs were absolutely mangled, nearly unrecognizable as legs when viewed from the back. Bits of his bone were in plain sight, and it was clear he'd never walk again. Choromatsu sheepishly looked back at them, his hands over his mouth. He looked at Karamatsu, who was staring at them blankly, obviously too shocked to care. He finally looked up at Choromatsu, who was making an effort to not look too frightened by his brother. 

“K-Karamatsu....”

The elder brother shushed him. “Don't worry about it. I'll be fine.” He faked a smile that Choromatsu saw through like glass. 

“Karamatsu, y-you.. Stay here.” Choromatsu stood shakily.  
“I'm.. I-I'm gonna go get water or something, I've got to treat that-” 

“No, no, treat yours first. That'll be easier to do, right?” 

Choromatsu closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Karamatsu god DAMMIT! CAN YOU CARE ABOUT YOURSELF FOR ONE MINUTE?!” 

Karamatsu looked taken aback. 

“Brother-”

“Karamatsu, just let me fucking do this for you, okay? I'll be fine. You NEED help, and you need it NOW. I'm gonna give you that help, goddammit. I know you want me to be happy, but... just look at yourself.” Karamatsu did, the reality of it sinking in. “You have to stay strong, okay? For me. For Ichimatsu and Todomatsu.” 

Karamatsu nodded, sighing as he watched Choromatsu get up. 

“I'll be right back, okay?” Choromatsu smiled faintly at his older brother, tearing his eyes from his brother's marred legs. 

“Okay, brother. Stay safe, will you?” Karamatsu grinned back weakly. 

Choromatsu nodded and walked off with his water bottle and shotgun in hand, humming softly to himself as he tried to forget the image of his injured brother. 

Karamatsu sighed and stared at his legs sadly, hoping he wouldn't be alone for long. His wish was granted when he looked up and saw a rather short, pink haired girl lumbering towards him. 

He was about to say hello when he noticed her hands. She seemed to be wearing gloves that had long, curved blades on each finger, each dripping with blood and viscera that still looked rather fresh. 

He panicked when he tried to get up, remembering he couldn't run.


	12. Chapter Twelve - Choromatsu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> YO! just a heads up, HUGE gore warning for this chapter!!! if you're bothered by gore then honestly i'm not sure how you got to this chapter, but i'm still gonna put a warning on this chapter!! thanks for reading!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this one is so short, aaaa qwq   
> i feel it's best left short though

Choromatsu had found a small pond close to where he had left Karamatsu to his relief. He dipped his empty bottle in, filling it with a murky brown water. It clearly wasn't the best for cleaning wounds, but it was all he could do. He began walking back to his brother, hoping he could at least find a way to clean his legs and stop the bleeding. He'd worry about himself later. 

He wasn't exactly sure how to get back, as all the trees looked the same to him. He was starting to think he was lost when he heard a bloodcurdling scream – that belonged to Karamatsu. Choromatsu took off in that direction, his own legs stinging him, leaving a thin trail of blood splatters on the ground behind him. It didn't take long to arrive at his destination, and when he did, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. 

Nyaa Hashimoto, the girl that he'd had a crush on since he'd first laid eyes on her, was standing over the bloody form of his older brother, the blades on her hands dripping dark red. Karamatsu wasn't showing any signs of trying to get away, to move away from her – he wasn't moving at all, actually. Choromatsu leaned over and threw up what little he had left in him, scared out of his mind. 

When he looked up, Nyaa was already turned away from Karamatsu to face Choromatsu. The front of her uniform was drenched in blood, bits and pieces of what was once a person sticking to her clawed hands as she approached Choromatsu slowly. Choromatsu was frozen in fear. His eyes were still glued to Karamatsu, now that he could get a better look at him. His arms were shredded, he'd clearly tried to fight her off regardless of his lack of mobility. Karamatsu's chest was in a much worse condition, though. Four long, deep claw marks lined the front of his hoodie in parallel, a clear mark of Nyaa's victory over the helpless older brother. 

Choromatsu remembered the shotgun, and shakily raised it, not taking his eyes off of the pink-haired girl. She picked up her pace, now only about fifteen feet away from her. Choromatsu didn't want to do it, but he had no choice now. He closed his eyes and pulled the trigger.

Click!

He opened an eye, confused. Nyaa was still approaching him, unscathed. That's when it hit him – Karamatsu had been given an empty shotgun.

He backed away, dropping the gun. He didn't stand a chance now – his stupid collar tracker wouldn't do him any good now, and his only defense was an empty shotgun. He wanted to laugh at himself, at how hopeless he was. He was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it. Maybe he could outrun her, maybe he'd be okay - 

It happened so fast. 

Nyaa lunged forward at him, aiming to stab him in the stomach, but was stopped when she heard a triumphant voice ring out. 

“THANK YOU, KING-SIZED, GAME-WINNING HOOOOOOOME RUN!!!!!!” 

Choromatsu watched in shock as Jyushimatsu burst forward from the brush, running at Nyaa with his weapon raised. It appeared to be a long, wooden baseball bat with nails sticking out of the side, but Choromatsu didn't have the time to find out. He swung it at Nyaa and Choromatsu heard a sickening crack as it connected with her skull. She fell back immediately, blood gushing from her demolished face. 

Jyushimatsu didn't stop there. He leaned over her, bringing the bat down on her again with a smile. And again. And again. He kept swinging and swinging and swinging, his once sunny yellow jacket being splattered with her blood. Choromatsu watched in horror, his hands clasped over his mouth. 

Jyushimatsu finally stood up after what seemed like an hour, turning to face his older brother, his wide grin unfaltering. 

“Hi, Choromatsu Nii-san!” 

Choromatsu could only stare back at him, his eyes wide. “J-Jyushimatsu.....” 

“Are you okay, Nii-san?” Jyushimatsu tilted his head, his bat held loosely in his left hand. 

Choromatsu glanced at the body of Nyaa-Chan. She was completely unrecognizable now, as there was absolutely nothing where her face used to be. Her head was completely caved in, and all that was recognizable was bits of her pink-and-green streaked hair that had been untouched by her own blood. Unidentifiable bits of gore and viscera were scattered throughout the ground where the remainder of her head lay, while similar substances had attached themselves to Jyushimatsu's bat.

Choromatsu looked up at his brother, horrified. “J-Jyushimatsu... How.... w-why.... w...what.....” 

“She hurt Karamatsu Nii-san! And she was gonna hurt Choromatsu Nii-san! It's okay though! I took care of her!” He smiled. “We're safe now!”

Choromatsu fainted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also!!! if anyone wants to do fanart for this, i am tracking the tag #matsuno royale on tumblr, and i will give you a shoutout here if you do! not that anyone has to, but if anyone wants to then i'd love to see it <3


	13. Chapter Thirteen (Osomatsu/Jyushimatsu)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one's so short aa sorry qwq

Osomatsu shook violently, his head buried in his knees. He had stopped walking when the announcements had come on to hear them clearly earlier, and now heavily regretted it. He was sitting underneath a fairly large tree, feeling nothing. What was he supposed to feel? He was never prepared for the moment when his brothers would be gone. He never thought it would happen. He'd thought that his brothers' presence was a constant, that they'd always be there no matter what. That's how it had been before, so why should it have changed? It wasn't fair. Not even a day ago, he'd been conversing with his brothers, excited for what lay ahead of them. 

He'd been hugging his mother goodbye and assuring her that he was going to be okay. 

He wasn't okay. 

None of them were okay. 

Two of his brothers were fucking dead, maybe more at this point. He couldn't help but feel it was partially his fault. If he had just waited instead of running away from the entrance, then maybe Ichimatsu and Todomatsu would be alive still. He didn't want to think about it, but he wondered what had happened to them. Had Ichimatsu given up and commited suicide? It was likely, but he hoped it wasn't so. Todomatsu, he couldn't be sure about. He just hoped that it was painless for both of them... No, he hoped that he was dreaming. 

Osomatsu stood up, rubbing his forehead, trying to clear his mind of those thoughts. He had to keep going, for the rest of his brothers. He couldn't let them go. He started walking again, he had to find them as soon as he could. 

 

Jyushimatsu sat by Choromatsu's side, waiting for him to awaken. He wasn't sure why he'd fainted all of a sudden, but it was fine with Jyushimatsu as long as he'd be okay. He yawned and leaned back, stretching his arms behind him. He'd carried Choromatsu to another small cabin and cleaned up his bullet wounds the best that he could. Now, all Jyushimatsu had to do was wait for him to get up. 

Jyushimatsu perked up a bit when he saw his brother's eyes flicker open, a confused expression spread across his face. 

“Jyushimatsu...?” He sat up, hissing in surprise at the sudden pain. “Why do my legs hurt? Where are we...” He stopped, remembering. His eyes widened and he backed away from Jyushimatsu slowly. 

“You're awake! I was scared you were gonna sleep forever!” Jyushimatsu scooted towards Choromatsu. “I tried to clean up your legs, but I don't think I did very well! I'm sure you'll feel better soon!” He grinned. 

“J-Jyushimatsu, stay back..!” Choromatsu held his hand out, signaling for his brother to stop. 

Jyushimatsu tilted his head to the side slightly, confused. “Huh? Okay, but why?” He plopped back down into a sitting position on the floor. 

“W-what you did back there.... I-I....” Choromatsu stuttered with wide eyes. “I-I can't...” 

Jyushimatsu frowned. “Can't... what?” 

“I-I can't trust you.” Choromatsu shook, glaring at his brother in horror. 

“What? Nii-san, I was protecting you! Don't be silly!” 

Choromatsu shook his head, bringing himself to stand. “N-No! How do I know you won't do t-that to me?!” He snapped. 

“Choromatsu... I'm your brother! I was trying to help!” Jyushimatsu protested. “You can trust me, I promise!” 

“Jyushimatsu, s-shut UP!!” Jyushimatsu frowned. Choromatsu was having an anxiety attack, but way worse than he'd ever seen. “I saw the way you looked when you did it. You don't even know what's going on, do you? I can't stay with you! It's suicide!” 

Jyushimatsu flinched at the last word. 

“Choromatsu...” 

“Jyushimatsu, just let me go. I-I'm sorry.” 

“Choromatsu, no! You're gonna get yourself killed out there!” 

“I'll get killed if I stay with you!” He stood, his voice wavering. “This is a game to you, isn't it?! You probably aren't even listening to me right now, are you?! You're thinking about baseball or some other stupid shit as usual!” 

Jyushimatsu met eyes with his brother, hurt deeply. He didn't know his brother thought of him like that. “C-Choromatsu...” 

Choromatsu turned away. “I-I should have been an only child.” He opened the cabin door and stepped out, slamming it behind him. Jyushimatsu watched him, his heart aching. 

He stood, grabbing his bat. He had to follow him, he wasn't going to let him get killed- 

Gunfire rang out, hurting Jyushimatsu's ears.


	14. Chapter Fourteen (Osomatsu)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're getting close to the end and i hate it :')

Osomatsu sighed, bored of being alone. He was about to give up and sit down when he heard a faint, unnatural noise in the distance. He couldn't quite make it out, but it sounded like a machine gun firing. Osomatsu turned to walk the other direction but then froze when he heard a familiar scream. He whirled around and dashed in the direction of the scream, desperately hoping he wasn't too late. 

Osomatsu came upon a small cabin, only able to see the back of it from where he stood. He could definitely tell that the gunfire was coming from the other side of the cabin, though. He peered into a window and gasped, seeing his second youngest brother approaching the front door of the cabin. Osomatsu was going to knock on the window, but then he noticed how Jyushimatsu looked. 

His hair was extremely unkempt, and his once cheerfully sunny jacket was now dappled with red in uneven blotches. Then he took notice to the bat, and he covered his mouth in horror. It was drenched with blood, and he could see..... well, he wasn't sure WHAT it was, but he saw something dangling from the nails. Something about Jyushimatsu's stance deeply unsettled Osomatsu. He didn't think that the scream was his. 

Osomatsu crept to the side of the house to see what was going on and gasped, mortified. Choromatsu was lying face down and motionless by the front door, his green hoodie dotted with bullet holes. Osomatsu feared the worst until he saw the third brother's arm move slightly. He then looked up from Choromatsu and witnessed Jyushimatsu making his way towards what appeared to be Totoko.

Osomatsu watched in horror as she opened fire again, her bullets tearing through his brother. He ran out of his hiding place, his hatchet in hand.

“Totoko, STOP IT!!” he ran through the storm of bullets and pushed Jyushimatsu out of the fire, crying out as new wounds opened up throughout his body. Jyushimatsu collapsed underneath Osomatsu, his eyes wide. 

“Nii-san...!” Osomatsu got off of him and turned to look at Totoko, who was walking towards them. She'd left her machine gun behind. She must have run out of bullets or something. Replacing it was a reddish tinted knife, already used not long ago. 

“Scared, Osomatsu?” Totoko giggled, drawing nearer. Osomatsu scooted back into Jyushimatsu, gripping his hatchet tightly. He could feel the poorly cut wood of the handle splintering into his hand. 

“B-Back up, Totoko!” He raised his hatchet, trembling. Totoko laughed in response to his threat.

“I'm serious!! B-Back up!!!!” 

“And give up this opportunity? Nah. I'm gonna win this. Everyone's gonna know my name, and I'll be loved, unlike you pathetic idiots!” She stepped closer, grinning triumphantly. “You two never had a chance.”

“Totoko....” Jyushimatsu struggled to get up, ignoring the burning pain from his wounds. 

She threw her knife at him, startled by the sudden movement. Jyushimatsu shrieked as it lodged into his shoulder. Osomatsu looked to his brother, terrified. “J-Jyushimatsu!!!” Jyushimatsu trembled, whimpering as he pulled the blade out of his shoulder. 

“I-I'm fine..!” Jyushimatsu gasped, breaking into sobs. 

Biting his lip, Osomatsu turned to face Totoko and stood, his emotions starting to well up within him. “Totoko.” She stood crookedly, her face blank. She stepped back, eyeing him warily. 

“Totoko.” 

Osomatsu locked eyes with her, holding back his tears the best that he could. 

“What?" She spat.

 

“Why'd you hurt Jyushimatsu?” He stepped forward, his ax held firmly by his side. 

“I told you, I'm going to win this!” She snarled. 

Again, Osomatsu stepped forward. “How do you expect to do that without a weapon, dumbass?” 

Totoko looked confused for a moment and then it hit her that she'd thrown her knife, the last thing she had left. Eyes wide, she stepped back, not taking her gaze away from Osomatsu. 

“Wasn't very smart of you, was it, huh?” Osomatsu grinned. “It's too bad.... Such a waste.” 

Totoko trembled and then turned to run, but instead felt a searing pain spreading through her back. She tripped and fell, looking back. Ah. Osomatsu's ax was lodged in her back. She tried to get up, but her legs weren't moving. “O-Osomatsu!” She gasped, tearing at the ground in an attempt to drag herself away from him. Osomatsu approached her, rubbing the underside of his nose, looking bored. 

He planted a foot on her back, causing her to collapse back onto the ground with a thud. He grabbed the handle of the ax and yanked it out of her back, receiving an earsplitting shriek in response. He raised the ax once more. 

“Sorry, Totoko. I always liked you, til now.” 

He brought it down on the back of her neck, silencing her. 

 

Osomatsu turned and rushed back to his brother, leaving the ax. 

“Jyushimatsu, are you alright?!” His younger brother shook his head through sobs, holding onto his shoulder tightly in an attempt to stop the flow of blood. 

“It hurts...”

Osomatsu knelt down and took a closer look at it. He held his breath as he looked. He couldn't bear seeing his brother hurt like this... It wasn't supposed to be this way. He didn't know how he could help him other than throwing his arms around his little brother and bringing him into a hug. “I-It's okay, Jyushimatsu... Nii-san's here now...” 

Jyushimatsu sobbed into Osomatsu's shoulder uncontrollably, weighed down by everything that was going on. He didn't want to let go. He knew he'd have to, though. He pulled away from his brother. “C-Choromatsu...” 

Confused, he looked at Jyushimatsu and then remembered where he'd seen Choromatsu. “Hang on a sec, Jyushimatsu. I'll be right back, I promise. Okay?” 

Jyushimatsu nodded, and Osomatsu darted to the front of the cabin and to Choromatsu's side. He nudged him gently, fearing the worst. 

“Choromatsu? A-Are you..” 

Choromatsu's eyes fluttered open, and met with Osomatsu's. 

“H-hey, Choromatsu.” Osomatsu didn't know what to say. 

“Osomatsu...” Choromatsu tried to drag himself up but instantly collapsed. 

“Hey, hey, it's okay... You don't need to get up...” 

Choromatsu nodded slowly, staring off blankly. “Osomatsu...?” 

“Yeah?” 

“T-tell Jyushimatsu that I'm sorry...” 

“What.. What do you mean?” 

Choromatsu didn't respond. 

“Choromatsu, c'mon! Don't leave me hanging....” He nudged Choromatsu again, a little harder this time. “Choromatsu...? Choromatsu, please...” He pleaded, his voice wavering. 

Choromatsu just stared off into space, motionless. 

“God dammit, Choromatsu!! Don't leave me!!!” He nudged him harder, yelping when his hand met his brother's blood. “Please, Choromatsu....” He whimpered, burying his face in his hands. He wept, longing for a trace, just a shred of evidence that his brother was still with him.

“I-I'm sorry...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if anyone wants to draw fanart or anything and wants me to see it, i'm tracking the tag #Matsuno Royale on tumblr!! i'll give you a shoutout here if i see it!


	15. Chapter Fifteen (Osomatsu)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one's so short aaa sorry

A sigh escaped between Osomatsu's sobs as he stood up, looking back at Choromatsu for the last time. He almost envied Choromatsu. Osomatsu dragged his feet along the ground as he trudged back to where he left Jyushimatsu. It wasn't far at all, but it felt like miles to him, taking tremendous effort to keep going. 

Osomatsu approached Jyushimatsu and slumped down next to him, his head pounding. Jyushimatsu's blood nearly instantly crossed over from Jyushimatsu's hoodie to his brother's, as it was still seeping through the deep gash in his shoulder. He'd tried to stop it, but only made it hurt worse.

“Osomatsu nii-san...?” Jyushimatsu looked to his brother, concerned. Osomatsu was just staring blankly at the ground in front of him, breathing hard. “H-How's...-”

“He's gone, Jyushimatsu,” Osomatsu muttered.

“Ah.....” Jyushimatsu winced upon hearing his words. He knew it already, but it hurt more to hear it confirmed. Jyushimatsu looked up, watching one of the security helicopters whirring by overhead, the events of the past day clouding his mind. 

About thirty minutes passed until Osomatsu finally spoke up, snapping Jyushimatsu out of his trance-like state. 

“What are we supposed to do now?” 

Jyushimatsu glanced at him. “Huh?” 

“What do we do now? There's probably someone left. We need to be careful, righ-” Their collars clicked on, and Hisao's cheerful voice rang out. 

“Good evening, students! You've all been doing great so far. Are you enjoying yourselves?” 

Osomatsu gritted his teeth, clenching his hands into tight fists. 

“I've got a few announcements to make. Zones A1, C4, E2 and D3 are going off limits in thirty minutes. Now, I'll go ahead and list off the names of the losers so far!” 

Osomatsu felt Jyushimatsu tense next to him. 

“Male student #2: Chibita! 

Female student #3: Hashimoto Nyaa!

Male student #4: Matsuno Karamatsu!”

The words jabbed Osomatsu in the heart. Karamatsu was gone, too? 

“Male student #5: Matsuno Choromatsu! You Matsuno brothers are just piling up, aren't you?”

Osomatsu tensed, his nails digging into his palms. 

“Bastard....!”

“Female student #7: Aya!”

He didn't know her well, he only knew that she was a friend of Todomatsu's.

“Female student #8: Yowai Totoko! 

Well, well! It looks like there's only two of you left now! Try to make the end interesting! Good luck!” 

Click.

Osomatsu must have misheard him. They COULDN'T be the only two left. He looked to Jyushimatsu for confirmation. 

“Jyushimatsu, did he say...” 

“We're the only ones left....” Jyushimatsu nodded, his face expressionless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you've done fanart or anything, tag it as #Matsuno Royale on tumblr and i'll see it!


	16. Chapter Sixteen (Osomatsu/Jyushimatsu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :)

Osomatsu and Jyushimatsu remained silent for quite some time after that announcement, not moving from their spots. Neither of them wanted to think about what was going to happen. Jyushimatsu had been watching the sky to distract himself. It was calming watching the birds fluttering overhead, oblivious to the bloodshed below them. How nice it must be, to be able to fly through the trees so freely, so carelessly. He wished he could be that careless right now. He wished he was strong enough to know what to do right now. He wished that he was with his brothers. Jyushimatsu closed his eyes and pulled his knees to his chest before Osomatsu finally broke the silence. 

“What happened to them?” said Osomatsu plainly. “I... I didn't see anyone at all until I ran into you. Were you alone, too?” 

Jyushimatsu looked down. “Yeah. Well, sort of...” He trailed off.

“Sort of? What do you mean?” 

“I.... I saw everyone. But I was always too late..... I'm sorry, Nii-san.” Jyushimatsu crossed his arms and partially hid his face from his brother. 

“Ah......” Osomatsu sighed sadly. “It's not your fault, Jyushimatsu. You... You did your best.”

Jyushimatsu shook his head, tearing up. “I couldn't save anyone...” 

Osomatsu frowned, looking to his little brother. “Jyushimatsu, don't say that... None of this is your fault, okay...? Like I said, you tried your best. That's good.” 

Jyushimatsu shook his head harder, raising his voice. “My best isn't enough!! It never is! I just.. wanted everyone to be happy.” He paused, wiping his eyes on his bloody sleeve. “That's all I've ever wanted. It's all I've ever tried to do. But.... It doesn't matter.” He sniffled. “Even though I tried my best to keep everyone happy... I still saw Choromatsu having anxiety attacks every other day. I still overheard Karamatsu crying at night when I couldn't sleep. I still saw Todomatsu cutting himself off from his friends. I still noticed you skipping classes... I still ran into Ichimatsu unconscious in the bathroom because he'd tried to kill himself with a razor blade. My best isn't worth anything.” 

Osomatsu was heartbroken. He hadn't known any of this. “Jyushimatsu.... I.. I'm sorry.” 

Jyushimatsu broke down into sobs, overwhelmed. “I tried to meet up with Homura a few hours ago, but she'd thrown herself off a cliff before I could even talk to her.... T-Then I ran into Todomatsu and Ichimatsu....” He sniffed. “T-Totty was gone already. And guess what? I got to see Ichimatsu trying to kill himself again. Except this time, he succeeded!” He wept. “I-I..” He was cut off by his sobs taking him over. 

Osomatsu felt sick. “Jyushimatsu....” 

“I couldn't save anyone, Osomatsu.” 

Osomatsu didn't know what else to do other than wrap his arms around his brother, hugging him tightly. 

“It's okay, Jyushimatsu... I promise..” Osomatsu was tearing up as well. He wished he'd known all of these things. He thought he was shitty for not being there for his brothers now, when he wasn't even there for them before. “I've been a shitty Nii-san, haven't I...” He murmured, his voice cracking. Jyushimatsu didn't respond, he just kept sobbing into Osomatsu's hoodie. Osomatsu joined in, needing to let all of his stress out badly. 

 

Neither of them had realized it, but soon enough both of them had fallen asleep, absolutely exhausted from the events of the past day. Unfortunately, as much as the both of them needed the rest, it was soon interrupted by the click of their collars after a few hours. 

“Rise and shine, students!” Osomatsu sat up, startled by the sudden voice of Hisao. Hisao..... God, the things Osomatsu would do to kill that guy...... 

“It seems there's still two of you left, and it's been six hours. If you two don't decide on a winner in the next three hours, unfortunately, there won't be a winner. So I'd hurry up if I were you! Good luck!” Click.

Osomatsu looked to Jyushimatsu, frowning. Both of them still felt awful and wanted to lie there forever, but they couldn't. He took a moment to look at his last living brother. He looked past Jyushimatsu's blood-stained hoodie, past his frown, and was looking for a trace of the Jyushimatsu he once knew. The Jyushimatsu who had an undying smile, the Jyushimatsu that was so passionate about the things he loved, the Jyushimatsu who was doing his best to keep everyone happy. That Jyushimatsu was clearly dead. What he saw now had no resemblance to Jyushimatsu. This Jyushimatsu had given up being happy. He'd given up his passions, he'd realized he'd never get a chance to accomplish anything now. His smile was long gone and replaced with a frown that looked like it didn't belong. This wasn't right.

“Jyushimatsu.” The younger brother looked up.

“Yeah, Nii-san?” 

“Let's go for a walk.” He stood up, brushing off his pants. He held a hand out to the confused Jyushimatsu to help him up. Jyushimatsu took it and got up, grimacing at the sharp pain that shot through his shoulder at the sudden movement. 

“Okay, Osomatsu.” Jyushimatsu nodded solemnly. 

The two of them walked to the northernmost part of the island through the woods, the younger of the two leaning on the eldest for support. Both brothers were silent for the majority of the walk, until Jyushimatsu piped up. 

“Osomatsu? What are we going to do?” 

Osomatsu frowned, sighing. “I can't kill you. You're my brother. And I'm assuming you won't want to kill me, either.” 

Jyushimatsu shook his head. “I couldn't.” 

“Then, I guess... we'll just... wait it out. We'll go out together in a couple of hours. Unless you change your mind about killing me, that is...” 

Jyushimatsu began to tear up, but bit his lip beforehand. “Alright, Nii-san.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're so close to the end i hate it aaaa qwq
> 
> also i'm still tracking the tag #matsuno royale, tag ur shit with that if u want me to see it! (i'll love you forever if u do fanart or something omg.....)


	17. Chapter Seventeen (Osomatsu)

A soft breeze ruffled Osomatsu's hair as the two remaining brothers made their way to the northernmost side of the island. Jyushimatsu, whose legs had taken the brunt of Totoko's gunfire, was leaning on his brother for support as they walked. Osomatsu could feel his little brother's shoulder bleeding onto his own hoodie, but he tried not to think about it. He didn't want to spend the last time he'd ever see his brother again focusing on his injuries, it wasn't like he could do anything about them anyway. It wouldn't matter if he bandaged him, anyway. They were both going to the same place. The two of them began to approach a large overhang, a cliff that loomed over the rocky sea below it. Osomatsu felt Jyushimatsu tense next to him and frowned. He paused and turned to Jyushimatsu.

“Jyushimatsu? You okay?” The younger brother pointed to the left of them, to a large mound of sand that stuck out from the beach's surface. Osomatsu remembered running into it not long ago. 

“There's.... Homura.” He stuttered. 

“Oh...” Osomatsu looked down sadly. “So is this where...?” Jyushimatsu quickly nodded and sat down, crossing his legs. Osomatsu sank down to the ground and did the same, staring out at the sea with his brother. 

Osomatsu sighed tiredly. They'd been walking for what felt like at least an hour, so they didn't have much time left. He stared out into the horizon, watching a gunboat passing in the distance. The sound of the waves gently lapping at the shore made it almost peaceful. Osomatsu looked to his brother, who's expression was unreadable. 

“Nice day, isn't it?” Osomatsu chimed in. It wouldn't hurt to converse a little before they had to go. Jyushimatsu nodded. 

“Yeah... It'd be a nice day to play baseball.” Osomatsu smiled sadly at the response. This wasn't fair. He hated seeing his only remaining brother like this. He hated that he only had one brother. 

“You used to say that every day, though...” He sighed, wishing he was back at home so that he could play baseball with Jyushimatsu for one last time. He just wanted his brother to be happy. Jyushimatsu yawned loudly, snapping Osomatsu out of his thoughts.

“Yeah? Well you've gotta practice to become perfect! I was gonna be the best baseball player in Japan!” He swung his arms like he had a bat still, recoiling when he moved his shoulder so suddenly. It hurt Osomatsu to see his little brother in pain.

“I bet you were.” He so desperately wanted to be able to say that he still could, that he could even play his favorite sport again. He couldn't lie to his brother like that, and even if he did, Jyushimatsu already knew what was coming.

“What were you gonna do?” Jyushimatsu asked, looking to his brother.

“Huh?” 

“What were you planning to do after we finished high school? “ Osomatsu frowned. 

“Oh, uh..” Osomatsu trailed off. “I didn't really have much of a plan, actually. I was just gonna go with whatever happened, I guess...” He sighed. 

“C'mon, Nii-san! You must have wanted to do SOMETHING, right?” Osomatsu shrugged. 

“Nah, not really. I was just gonna do whatever you guys were gonna do. But I guess that wasn't the best plan, was it?” He snapped. Jyushimatsu frowned.

“Nii-san....” He tilted his head slightly, his gaze clouded with worry. Osomatsu sighed. 

“Sorry. Can we just talk about something else?” He looked away from Jyushimatsu, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. 

“Yeah...” Jyushimatsu frowned. 

The two of them were quiet for a couple of minutes until Osomatsu sighed. 

“Guess there's not much to talk about, is there...” He hugged his knees to his chest. Jyushimatsu looked to him and shook his head. 

“I guess not..” 

“What were the others gonna do?” Osomatsu figured that even though just hearing their names now hurt, he should think about his family before he died. He didn't want to forget them. 

“Ah, I think Karamatsu said he wanted to be an idol a while back. A singer, I think? That would have been nice. I've only heard him sing once, but it was really good...” Osomatsu nodded, taking the information in. 

Karamatsu. Although he never showed it, Osomatsu envied his optimism. Even if he didn't have many friends, or the majority of everyone who knew him found him annoying, he'd never let them bring him down. He just smiled through it all. Osomatsu wondered just how much Karamatsu had smiled through. Hell, he even pretended that he wasn't hurt when he was shot by Hisao just so nobody would worry. He was by far a better big brother than Osomatsu ever was for his younger siblings. 

“Oh, wow.... Do you think we were a little... too hard on him? The rest of us, I mean. We were sorta mean to him....” Jyushimatsu frowned.

“I don't think he think you meant it-” He paused, as if remembering something. “Well, maybe...” Osomatsu furrowed his brow. 

“What do you mean?” Osomatsu hoped that Karamatsu hadn't died thinking that he was hated. He wanted to believe that he knew he was loved, but a bud of doubt was beginning to sprout in him. 

“I... it's nothing.” Jyushimatsu shook his head, looking down. “I'm sure he knew you guys were kidding.” 

“Jyushimatsu, don't lie to me. Please.” Osomatsu put his hand on his brother's shoulder, locking eyes with him before Jyushimatsu looked back to the horizon. 

“I found a half written suicide note from him under the dresser a few months ago.” He paused, sniffling and wiping his eyes with a dull yellow sleeve. “I asked him about it and he made me promise not to tell anyone.” 

Oh. Just how bad of an older brother WAS Osomatsu...? He felt sick knowing that he and his other brothers' teasing had nearly driven Karamatsu to... that.

“J-Jesus...” 

Jyushimatsu looked down, nodding. “Yeah.” 

“Did he ever try to...?” 

Jyushimatsu shook his head. “No, I talked him out of it. I don't think he was really gonna do it, anyway, but I might be wrong...” 

Osomatsu nodded. “Oh.. What about Choromatsu?” Images of his third youngest brother's blank expression as he bled out flashed through Osomatsu's mind when he said the name. He pushed those thoughts away the best that he could. “What was he gonna do?” 

“Oh, um.. I'm actually not sure. Probably some boring business job that makes a lot of money. Or maybe a scientist or something? I dunno. With grades like his, he could have done pretty much anything he wanted!” Osomatsu nodded. 

Choromatsu. He had the highest ambitions out of everyone, but he oftentimes pushed himself too far to succeed. He was often a bit bossy with his brothers, especially Ichimatsu, but he just wanted the best for them. He always did talk about how he wanted to do something memorable with his life, that he wanted people to know the Matsuno name. Osomatsu's heart ached, knowing that they were all going to be forgotten in a decade or so. Their parents had probably been shot down by the government upon hearing of the whereabouts of their children, so who was left to remember them? Iyami would probably remember them, but not fondly. He was probably glad that he'd be rid of the six of them finally. 

“Yeah. He would have made us proud....” Osomatsu sighed. “What about Ichimatsu? He was clearly your best friend.” Jyushimatsu looked mildly offended. 

“I'd never have a favorite broth-” 

“Jyushimatsu, don't lie. It was obvious he got along with you better than anyone else.” Jyushimatsu frowned, but couldn't argue with that. Ichimatsu was, indeed, pretty hostile most of the time. 

“Okay, maybe that's true, but even so... I'm not sure if he had plan, either... He never talked about the future much, even when I asked him.... Maybe he thought that he didn't have one.” That last line echoed in Osomatsu's mind. He was familiar with that feeling.

“He always avoided talking about work, or stuff like that. I think that maybe he thought he was gonna... try THAT again.” 

That stung Osomatsu's heart. Ichimatsu had succeeded in his plans, if that were the case. 

Ichimatsu. He'd always been so friendly when they were little, but as they grew up and passed through school, he'd grown cold to outsiders, and even to his brothers. Osomatsu knew that he'd been bullied a LOT when they were all around ten years old, and he'd get in trouble for skipping school a lot. Osomatsu did the same, but not nearly as frequently as his fourth brother. Once talkative, Ichimatsu had grown so quiet that even his cries for help weren't heard. He'd always say cynical things that were a bit unnerving to his brothers, but they never took it for anything serious. Osomatsu regretted that he never kept a closer eye on Ichimatsu. It would be nice if he could see him one more time, but he knew it was too late for that. 

“...Jeez.” He didn't know what else to say. God, he was an awful brother...

“I'm sure he knows that we loved him,” Jyushimatsu reassured his brother, unaware of everything Todomatsu had said to Ichimatsu before he died.

“...I hope so.” Osomatsu wanted to believe Jyushimatsu, but he had his doubts. “What about Tott-” He stopped to correct himself, as he knew that Todomatsu hated the nickname. “What about Todomatsu?” 

“Ooh, I'm not sure, but I think he wanted to do something in the fashion industry. He'd be good with something like that!”  
Osomatsu nodded in agreement. Todomatsu. His youngest brother, the one who never stopped until he got who he wanted, the brother who defended his brothers so fiercely but was afraid of the dark. The brother who completed the six. He was gone now. They were all gone but Osomatsu and Jyushimatsu. It wasn't fair. Osomatsu loathed the feeling of being without the four of them. It wasn't right to him. He should have been the one to die, he deserved it. Why did this stupid game have to take them away?

“Yeah.... I'm sure he would have.”

They both remained silent for a while, leaning on each other as they spent their final moments together. Neither of them wanted to talk about what lay ahead of them. That didn't last long. 

Click!

“Attention, students! You have thirty minutes left. Hurry up, already!” Their collars clicked off. Osomatsu looked to Jyushimatsu, sharing the same shocked expression. Had they already wasted that much time...?

“Jeez, already?” Osomatsu muttered, annoyed. Couldn't they just let him spend a LITTLE more time before they had to die...? 

“....Ah, I guess so....” Jyushimatsu remained silent for a moment and then stood up, struggling to stand straight due to both the force of the wind and the pain of his injuries. He looked back to his brother and knelt down, suddenly hugging Osomatsu. 

“I love you, Nii-san. I'm sorry it has to be like this.” He let go of the confused Osomatsu and stood again, turning to face the ledge of the cliff. Osomatsu watched him, confused.

“Jyushimatsu? What are you doing? There's still thirty minutes left.” Jyushimatsu didn't turn around. He began walking to the edge of the cliff – walking fast.

“Jyushimatsu, hey!! JYUSHIMATSU, NO!!” He stood to run after him, horrified. 

“Thank you, king-sized, game-winning HOOOOOOME RUN!!!” Jyushimatsu broke into a run and with a final bound of strength he practically flew off the edge. 

“JYUSHIMATSU!!!!” Osomatsu shrieked, tears streaming down his face. He reached the edge just in time to look over and see his brother one last time before the sickening crack of a body hitting water rang out. He covered his mouth and sank to his knees, sobbing. This couldn't be real. Jyushimatsu was ok. He just fell in the water, any second now he'd swim ashore and show up unscathed, he'd be ok, he'd be ok-

Click!

“And it seems we have a winner!!! Congratulations to Matsuno Osomatsu!!”

Osomatsu fainted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 900 hits already?! holy shit, guys! thank you all so much for reading this, it's been so fun to write and see your feedback! you have no idea how much your comments and even leaving a kudos means to me! thank you so much qwq
> 
> also!!! shoutout to badical on tumblr for drawing some lovely fanart!! http://badical.tumblr.com/post/146655802490/a-drawing-for-ichibutt-s-matsuno-royale
> 
> by the way!!!!!! there IS going to be an epilogue!!!


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